Road to Happiness
by blueskiesforever
Summary: Different Shades of Suffering Part II! Harry, Ginny, Lily, and Jack find out that the road to happiness is sometimes paved with tears and hardship. Rating to be safe. Disclaimer I own nothing HPGW, HGRW, OCOC
1. Chapter One: Beneath the Surface

a/n- okay everyone, this is it! Part two of Different Shades of suffering! I just wanted to let everyone know that chapters will be slow this time around. I'm back in school now and things are a little intense at the moment. But bear with me, I will finish the story even if it kills me!

Road to Happiness

Chapter One: Healing Wounds Beneath the Surface

Jack's eyes fluttered open and it took him a few seconds to remember all that had happened in the past few hours. He glanced down at a head of black hair on his chest and for the first time in four weeks, he didn't regret waking up. Lily was still sleeping peacefully in his arms and he didn't want to wake her up to go see where everyone else was and what they were doing. He stayed where he was and about an hour later his mother came in to check on them.

"How is she this morning?" she whispered setting down a tray of food.

"I don't know. She hasn't woken up yet. What time is it?" he asked looking out the window and noticing how high the sun was in the sky.

"It's just after noon. Everyone else just woke up as well. I brought you both something to eat. Don't be alarmed if she doesn't eat very much at first. She clearly hasn't been eating properly and it may upset her stomach if she eats too much."

"Where are Andrew, Kyle, Brandon, and Joe?"

"Professor McGonagall offered to keep an eye on them at Hogwarts, so we sent them there. School is going to be starting soon," Hermione reached over and felt Lily's forehead. After a few seconds she smiled and returned her gaze to Jack. "Well it looks like your good medicine. Her fever seems to be gone. I am surprised however that she is able to stand putting the much pressure on her broken ribs by lying on her side like that. Most people have difficulty breathing when their ribs are broken."

Jack placed a hand on the back of Lily's head lovingly. "She says she feels better when I'm with her. She told me last night that when I'm around her pain is not so bad. Is that possible?"

"You two have been known to do miraculous things in the past. This may be connected to the power that flows between you. I better go check on the others. Let her sleep as long as possible, I put a spell on the dishes so they will stay warm," she kissed her son's forehead and then Lily's before she left the room.

Once his mother had left, Jack looked down at Lily's hand resting on his chest and noticed the mark left from the rope had faded since the night before. It was peculiar that it had healed that fast overnight.

Lily's eyes snapped open suddenly about forty minutes later. She seemed startled about something and Jack tightened his grip on her body to let her know he was still there. "Lil are you okay? What is it?"

"N…nothing," she said unconvincingly.

"Come on, what is it? Did you have another dream?" he asked turning her face up towards him looking worried somewhat.

"No…not like before. But it was a dream," she said sitting up holding her rib cage and closing her eyes in pain.

"Well, what was it about then?"

She gave him a funny smile and looked away, "It…it was…it was a dream about a wedding."

"Oh well I guess that's better than the dreams you usually have," Jack said sounding relieved. He got out of bed and brought over the tray his mother had brought in earlier.

"It was our wedding," she said almost too quiet to be heard.

"What did you say?" he asked, blinking his eyes at an alarming rate.

"I said I had a dream about our wedding."

He slowly lowered himself back onto the bed next to her and put an arm around her, "Do you think it was like a premonition or something. Have you had one in the form of a dream before?"

"Yes," she replied looking cautiously up at him.

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I bet you were beautiful," he whispered in her ear. She turned her head and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"You looked good yourself," she said with a devilish smile.

"You know what I missed most while you were gone," he asked casually.

"No…what?"

"I missed waking up with you in my arms every morning," he said pulling her closer, "I never want to wake up without you there again."

She laughed at the sincerity of his statement. "You don't think they'll have a problem with that at school?" She teased.

"I don't really care what they say. All I know is that I want to spend the rest of my life waking up next to you," he leaned forward and kissed her properly for the first time since she got back. She responded by bringing her hands up around his neck and kissing him back. He broke their kiss abruptly and the look on his face was almost puzzling. "Hey you're supposed to be eating here, and I'm distracting you. I'll go tell your father you're awake while you try and eat something, okay love."

"Sure," she said looking to the bowl of clear broth in front of her. He handed the bowl to her before heading out the door.

The day went by at the Weasley house and all seemed to be getting back to normal. The news of Lily's escape was leaked to the press and they had been camped outside the front door ever since. All the blinds and drapes in the house were drawn shut to keep them from spying and taking pictures.

Jack and Lily spent most of their time reading and finishing their summer homework. They were given extra advanced assignments from the teachers of all the various subjects. They were also working with Ron and Harry as well as the new head of the auror department, Dennis O'Connor, trying to track down Malfoy and Luis who seemed to have both dropped off the face of the planet. O'Connor had been the only other person who had been told of Harry's existence, until that too made its way to the press. They suspected that one of Malfoy's men had allowed the news to slip, hoping to discover where Harry was. Harry however had decided it was time for people to know about him, and he hoped perhaps that would take the pressure off Lily. Aurors were stationed all around the house helping to protect everyone inside.

Hogwarts letters arrived on the second day of Lily's return. They were all sitting in the living room, except for Lily, when an owl flew in through the open window. It flew over to Jack, who untied the letters from it's leg. The owl ruffled its feathers importantly and soared out the window.

"It's from Hogwarts. They only sent us mine and Lily's," Jack observed.

"Well your brothers are at Hogwarts right now so. I'll have them send me their book lists and we'll go to London in a few days," Hermione said noticing how thick both the letters were.

"I'll go give Lily her letter," Jack said standing up.

As if on cue Lily hobbled into the room, "I'm right here." She took a deep breath holding her ribcage. Jack saw the distress in her face and helped her sit down next to him. She was still in a great amount of pain, but she was beginning to heal.

Jack was immediately concerned. "You were supposed to be asleep," Jack teased her, "That's how I left you. You should have tried to come down here on your own. Why didn't you call for me?"

"Oh, I'm fine Jack! Now are you going to give me my letter or do I have to fight you for it?" She leaned towards him and gave him the most threatening look she could muster, which was much because she was still very weak.

"No way am I fighting you! Here you go," he said laughing and handing over the letter with her name on it. They each opened their letters and read them in silence. After reading the usual letter telling them to be on the Hogwarts express on September 1st, they came to another letter behind it.

"Is that what I think it is," Hermione said from her seat next to Ron.

A badge with the letters HB fell out from Jack's pile of letters. He leaned over to Lily and saw she had one reading HG.

"You guys are Head Boy and Head Girl. Congratulations you certainly have done enough to deserve it," Ron said happily walking over and taking a look at their letters.

"Did you know about this?" Jack asked his mother.

"Professor McGonagall asked for my opinion but her mind was already made up. Don't tell me you two didn't see this coming," Hermione asked laughing slightly.

"Well, no I didn't," Lily said smiling oddly.

"Neither did I," Jack agreed, "I mean we're hardly going to be at Hogwarts this year because of all the auror stuff we've got going on. I guess I just thought they would pick somebody who had less going on than we do."

"Hermione and I were Head Boy and Girl in our year you know," Harry said grinning from ear to ear.

"I was Head Girl in my year too," Ginny reminded them all.

"Yeah I know. I just never pictured myself as Head Girl. Especially not after all that's happened. I mean people thought I was dead a few days ago and now I'm Head Girl!" Lily looked over at Jack who took her hand. "What if I'm a lousy at it," she confessed.

Jack couldn't help but crack up at her confession. "Lily you've never been lousy at a single thing you've done in your entire life," Jack said between fits of laughter.

"Oh I can think of a few things I've been lousy at," she said seriously.

"Like what," Jack asked growing serious as well. Hermione stood up and left the room, motioning for Harry, Ginny, and Ron to follow.

Lily answered once they were alone. "Like this whole incident that just happened. I should never have gone on that mission when I knew in my gut something was wrong."

"There was no way you could have known for sure that something like that was going to happen. You can't blame yourself for what Luis did. Why do you keep blaming yourself for things like this? There was nothing you could do."

"Yeah I know. But I should have listened to what my heart was telling me," she said as she lied down on the couch carefully and wincing pain slightly. She rested her head in his lap and he smiled down at her gesture.

"Let's not talk about this okay. There's nothing either of us can do to change what happened," he said as he stroked her hair absentmindedly with one hand.

"So what do you think Mr. Head Boy? Think we can pull this one off," she asked smiling lightheartedly.

"Sure we can! We'll be the best god damn Head Boy and Girl that school has ever seen," he said loudly.

About two and a half weeks before the start of term, Jack woke up in the middle of the night. He looked over to the clock on his nightstand which read 3:24 A.M. and sighed deeply wondering what had caused him to wake up. He rolled over expecting to find Lily still asleep next to him, only he found she was not there. Panicking a little bit, he sat straight up in bed and looked around the room frantically, but she was no where to be seen.

Standing up to go outside the room to look, he then noticed the bathroom door was pulled shut but there was no light on. He listened at the door for a second before he heard muffled sniffles coming from inside. Gently he pushed the door open and found her sitting on the cold floor with her knees up to her chest and her forehead resting on top of them. She was sobbing almost silently. She had not heard him come in.

He kneeled down in front of her, still unnoticed, until he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Lily, what is it?"

She looked up at him startled and through bloodshot eyes. "Oh Jack I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, of course not…I woke up on my own and I was worried when I you weren't in bed next to me," he said reaching up to her face and caressing her cheek. Her cheeks were saturated with tears and her eyes looked puffy even in the pale moonlight cascading down on her from the bathroom window.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to frighten you," she said not meeting his intense gaze.

"Lily, tell me why you're crying," he softly demanded.

She let out a singe sob and told him the truth. "I couldn't sleep. I can't stop thinking about what happened. I can't get the images out of my head. Every time I close my eyes I see it. I see his face," she stated as she began to sob again, "I can't stop reliving the whole thing. And now things that never used to faze me end up terrifying me. Like when I wake up in the morning and your not there. Or if I think I hear something in the hallway at night. I'm jumpy all day, and I'm scared of everything. All I want is for things to be the way they used to be before all this happened."

He pulled her to his chest and then stood up guiding her to her feet and returning to the bedroom. He sat down on the bed with her still in his arms. "Tell me what I can do to help you through this. I'll do anything. All you have to do is ask."

She took a shuddering breath and hesitated before speaking. "Look at me the way you used to," she finally said quietly. He pulled away from her and she looked up to meet his eyes with more tears streaming down her face.

"What are you talking about?" He asked looking confused.

"Jack, I see the way you look at me, the way you touch me, even the way you kiss me. It's like you're walking on egg shells whenever we're together."

"I didn't want to do anything that would scare you or make you remember something about being raped by Malfoy. I want you to feel safe," he said wiping a tear from her chin with the pad of his thumb. He took her hand but still didn't take her back into his arms.

"But I do feel safe when I'm with you. There is nothing about being with you that reminds me of Malfoy. I'm not broken because I was raped by a man we both disgust," she said as her green eyes pieced through his very soul.

"I don't think you're broken, love," he said admirably.

Lily looked away form him down into her lap. "It would be okay if you did think so…sometimes I'm not even sure that I'm not broken."

A tear of his own fell from his eye. "You know I love you more than anything. And I would make love to you in a second if I knew you were ready," he said with honesty written all over his face.

"I am ready. I need to know that nothing has changed between us. I'm still the same girl I was before I was taken into that cell. I'm still the same girl who fell hopelessly in love with her best friend. My whole life's happiness has always been wrapped up in you," she glanced down to take his other hand and then looked at him again, "Make love to me Jack," she pleaded as a single tear fell once more.

He looked into her eyes and could see she was still scared, but it seemed to be a different kind of fear. Entering her mind, he realized she thought he didn't love her the way he used to. He was suddenly determined to prove her wrong. "Come here," he said pulling her towards him and kissing her forcefully but lovingly on the lips.

He leaned down on the bed taking her with him until he was on top of her completely. He ran his hands through her hair as he deepened their kiss. He sat up on his knees breaking their kiss to removing his shirt, then returning his body on top of hers.

Rain fell softly outside Jack's window the next morning. The day was off to a poor start and the rain and thick clouds held little promise of allowing the sun to shine. He sat in the armchair facing the bed where Lily Potter was lying asleep on her side facing him.

She began to stir and reached over to where his body would usually be found in the morning. She found he wasn't there and mumbled, "Jack," almost incoherently against her pillow.

"I'm right here love," he answered still mesmerized by her beauty.

"You're grinning, Jack Weasley. I can tell by the way you talk. Explain yourself," she said into her pillow once more with her eyes still closed.

"No reason in particular. Can't I grin in the morning," he asked sounding accused.

"No you can't, it's obnoxious to be so awake when others are groggy," she said sarcastically.

"Well, I've been up for a while now. I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep. Everyone else has already had breakfast. You're sleeping in yet again today," he teased.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I didn't have the heart. Besides you still need to rest."

"Why are you just sitting there then," she said sounding more awake, "Couldn't find anything better to do?"

"I didn't want you to wake up alone," he said glancing down at his watch to check the time.

She looked at him and rubbed sleep out of her eyes, "What have you been doing all this time then?"

"Watching you sleep," he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well you must be bored then because it couldn't have been too terribly exciting," she said reaching her hand out to him.

He took her hand and kissed the back of it, "You are the most beautiful creature when you're sleeping. Did you know that you never move in your sleep? In all the nights I've spent with you in this bed you have never moved an inch once you were sleeping."

"Really…I guess I never really thought about it. Though I know I thrash around a bit when I'm having a nightmare. But, I don't usually get them when I'm with you," she said sitting up while holding the covers up higher to cover her still unclothed body.

"Why cover up Potter? It's nothing I've never seen before," he asked with a devilish smirk.

"Don't get cocky Weasley! And I'm covering up because I'm cold. And the reason I'm cold is because someone left me alone in bed hours ago," she answered holding her head up high.

He stood up and took off his shirt and pants leaving him in only his boxers. "Well that I can help you with," he said as he climbed in bed her and pulled her against his body. She wasn't lying when she said she was cold. Her body shivered slightly and she had goose bumps all over. He leaned forward over the top of her and kissed her shoulders, navigating his way to her collarbone.

"Are you starting something again," she asked gazing up at him while still lying on her back. She ran her fingers down his back causing a tremor to travel up his spin. "Where is everyone?"

"They all went to get school supplies and spend the day in London. They said they may even stay overnight night to visit with Uncle George and Uncle Fred. It's just you and me here all alone for the entire day," he answered suggestively before returning to what he was preoccupied with moments before.

"And just what do you plan on us doing with all that free time," she said as she twirled a lock of his curly hair around her finger.

He kissed his way to her ear and whispered, "I plan on never allowing you to leave this bed!"

"Oh really," she teased.

He pulled away to look at her momentarily, "I love you more than anything. That fact never changed even when I thought you were dead. I never stopped loving you, or changed the way I love you."

"I know that now," she answered looking up at him seductively.

He smiled down at her and laughed, "Don't smile at me like that, Potter. You have no idea what it does to me."

"Oh really, what exactly does it do to you," she said smiling in the same way.

"I think we've done far too much talking already for my liking, so why don't I show you what it does to me and then you'll know for sure," he said not giving her the chance to answer because he covered her mouth with his.

"So what are your plans for today," Harry asked from across the dinning room table one morning two days before the start of term.

"We're going Diagon Alley to buy robes for next year," Jack replied with his mouth full of toast.

"You should have told your mother to pick you guys up some robes when we were in London. She went with your brother Kyle to get his robes."

Jack finished his last piece of toast and pushed his plate forward. "Well we both need a new pair of school robes. But we also need new auror robes and she's got to have healer robes because she'll be working at St. Mungos on Saturday and Sunday mornings."

"So I take it you guys won't be going on weekend missions like you did last year," Ginny wondered from her seat next to Harry.

"No we will be going on some isolated weekend missions. But they will be few and far between. And they canceled the mission they were going to send us on. It was going to be a month long mission to Africa. Things are a little too dangerous right now," Jack added awkwardly.

"He means things are a little too dangerous for me," said a grumpy Lily as she came into the room and plopped down in the chair beside Jack.

"What do you mean too dangerous for you," Harry wondered.

Jack and Lily exchanged a tense glance before she spoke up, "It means that I'm kind of on everyone's hit list right now. But don't worry Dad, it'll die down eventually. Things will cool off with time."

Harry opened his mouth to ask more questions but Jack beat him to it. "Well are you ready to go. We've got a lot to do today," he said standing up. "Bye Aunt Gin," he added as he left the group at the table.

"I was ready before you were," she teased as she too stood up and began to walk towards the door, "We aren't getting back until late Dad so don't wait up. We have a meeting at the auror department and I have a feeling it's going to take awhile."

"Okay just be careful," Harry said as he heard the door shut behind them.

"They'll be fine, Harry," Ginny said grasping his shoulder in a reassuring way.

"I hope so," he replied sounding as if his mind was somewhere else. Ginny stood up, kissed him on the forehead, and left him alone with his worry.

"They're all staring at me Jack," Lily said through clinched teeth not wanting anyone else to hear.

Jack tightened his grip on her hand and walked on ignoring all the strange looks and open jaws they were leaving in their wake. The streets of Diagon Alley were absolutely packed with students trying to buy all the things they would need for the upcoming term. They had seen some of their friends from school and stopped to say hi. But for the most part they kept to themselves. They had purchased their robes and books and were now heading back to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch before apparating to the ministry. They walked into the back entrance of the pub and took seats in a secluded area in hopes that no one would bother them.

Lily sat down first with the bags containing their robes at her feet and Jack sat down with the bags containing their books. He took her hand from across the table and looked at her warily. "You okay?"

"It's just weird that's all. People look at me differently now. I mean they always looked at me differently than everybody else because of my father. But now it's like they're afraid of me," she confessed looked distressed.

"To these people you somewhat of the walking dead. A lot of people were greatly affected by your death Lil. I don't think you understand what you meant to people; what you still mean to people now that you're alive."

"Yeah I know. Its just weird that's all."

"You should have seen all the sympathy cards I got," he said smiling sadly.

"You got sympathy cards?" she asked wrinkling her nose at the thought.

"Sure, I got hundreds of them. Everyone knew about us and our relationship. I mean come on I'm dating the famous Lily Potter, everyone knew! I guess they just felt sorry for me. I never even read most of them," he confessed.

"Why not," she was curious now. Why did he not want to read them, and why had people cared so much to send them.

He looked down and became extremely interested in the woodwork of the old table they would soon be eating on. "I guess it just hurt too much," he finally answered in a very deep voice not looking up to meet her eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she said squeezing his hand.

"It's not your fault. You had no control over what happened," he looked up and added, "But so help me God nothing like that is ever going to happen again."

"Is that a command," she asked jokingly trying anything to get him to crack a smile.

"Yes," he replied still serious, "I never want to loose you again. I almost went crazy the first time. I want to always keep you safe and here with me."

"Okay, we have a deal then! I promise that nothing like that will ever happen again. Should we shake on it?" she asked letting go of his hand and holding it out very professionally for him to shake.

He finally smiled and shook his head no in response. He leaned across the small table until his lips were inches from hers, "No, but I'll kiss you on it!"

She closed the distance between them and they shared an innocent kiss as the waiter came up to take their order. They talked about the upcoming Qudditch season all the way through their meal, just happy to be able to enjoy each other's company once more.

At quarter past ten Lily can entered the house through the back door alone. Harry was sitting at the dinning room table going over some of his notes for the first day of class. He turned around to see her enter the room looking completely worn out. Even in the dim moonlight shining through the open window, she looked like she had been up for days.

"Hey there…Where's Jack?" Harry asked noticing he was not there.

"They asked him to stay behind and do some training with some spell. They talked about it but to tell you the truth I really don't remember what it was. I was a little tired. We spend the afternoon working out and dueling a little bit," she pulled up a chair and rested her elbows on the table.

"They had you training today," Harry said concerned. She was most certainly not ready to training, though he knew she would never admit it.

"Better sooner than later I guess. Jack should be home in about an hour."

"Well just don't push yourself too much in the beginning. You have been through a rough ordeal and your body is still not ready to return to all that training just yet," Harry warned.

She nodded her head in agreement, but Harry was unsure if she had understood his point. She changed the subject so he couldn't press the issue any further. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah sure honey anything."

"What was Jack like when they told you guys I was dead?"

Rather off guard Harry wondered how to respond. He considered the question carefully before answering. "Jack was a mess. He didn't come back after he left to identify your body. He was gone for days. When he was here he didn't seem to really be living. He just merely existed for the sake of his parents."

"Kind of like the way you felt when Mom died?" she asked not really knowing if he would want to talk about this topic or not.

"Well yes and no," he said truthfully, "In all honesty I didn't know your mother as well as Jack knows you, and I certainly hadn't known her for half as long as you and Jack have known each other. She and I were never friends like you guys were before we started dating either, but I was completely devastated when she died to say the least."

"Why weren't you friends first?"

Harry chuckled to himself at the memories of how he and Melissa first met, "We were far too attracted to each other to be merely friends, even in the beginning."

"I wish I could have known her," Lily said regretfully looking down at her lap.

"I wish you could have too. She loved you so much."

"Why didn't you two get married?" Lily speculated.

"I guess things were just always so hectic. We thought there would be time for that later when everything settled down," Harry replied mournfully.

"Do you ever regret it?"

"I regret not marrying your mother everyday of my life. But I think in our hearts we had everything every other married couple has. We loved each other very much," He looked at his daughter who was smiling back at him. There was something sad in her smile however. "Jack told me you two have talked about getting married."

"When did he tell you that?"

"When he didn't think he'd get the chance," he said knowing she understood what he meant.

"Yeah we talked about it. We always said that we wanted to get married the summer after graduation."

Harry took a cleansing breath and gave her a little piece of advice, "If I were you I'd go ahead with your plans. You never know how things are going to turn out in the end."

"I'll have to talk to him about it and see what he thinks."

"I don't foresee him having a big problem with the idea," Harry assured her.

"So, um….what's going on with you and Ginny?" Lily asked uncertainly.

Harry shifted in his seat and took a breath before answering. "Ginny and I are just… we're just…trying to figure some things out. I care about her very much."

"Like you cared about mom?"

"No, I mean I cared about your mother a lot, Lil, don't ever think that I didn't. But its just different with Ginny." Harry looked away from her out of fear that he would see disappointment in her eyes. But it was her reassuring hand on his shoulder that brought him back to her.

"Dad, all that matters is that you're happy. If she makes you happy then go for it. The past is in the past, so leave it there," she added with a small smile.

"That's the best advice I've gotten in a long time. Thanks honey," he said as he kissed her forehead lovingly. "Why do you have to be so grown up all the time?"

She threw her head back and her blissful laughter filled the room for a few seconds. Harry decided that being able to see her laugh like that was worth everything he'd gone through up to that point. "Give me a day or two to figure that one out, and in the mean time I'm going up to bed. I'll see you in the morning Dad," she said standing up and bending over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading up the stairs slowly. Harry watched her every step and noticed how labored her movements were. It was almost like she was in pain.

Harry sat up for another hour waiting to see that Jack got home okay. He sat by the fire reading and was beginning to nod off when he heard the back door open and close.

Jack came into the room and saw him sitting there, "Did Lily get home," he asked looking around.

"Yes she got home at a while ago," Harry replied scratching his head and glancing at his watch.

"Was she okay?" he asked sounding grave.

Harry leaned forward now concerned himself, "She looked tired and maybe in a little bit of pain. Why did something happen?"

Jack took a seat with his hands on his knees, "Yes Harry something did happen. She asked me not to tell you because she doesn't want you to worry, but I think you need to know so this time I'm going to break my promise."

"What happened," Harry demanded kindly. He was grateful that Jack trusted him enough to tell him things even when Lily asked him not to.

"We were in a practice duel with one of the trainers earlier this afternoon just after we arrived. There was nothing really strenuous going on. She was more or less backing me up because I didn't want her to hurt herself or get worn out with school started in a few days. She was perfectly fine one moment and then the next I look over and she's lying on the floor curled up in a ball screaming in pain," Jack explained shaking his head, "I didn't know what to do. It was obvious she was under the Cruciatus Curse. But no one there was putting her under it. It was kind of like that dream she had the night when you showed up. Do you remember?"

Harry gave a sarcastic laugh, "How could I forget. Did she say anything this time? Last time she was yelling things."

"No she didn't say anything. She just screamed in pain. It lasted for nearly twenty minutes. They brought in two healers and no one could do anything. I wanted to take her to the hospital but no one would let me. When the curse was finally lifted she said she had been having visions about being back in the cell at Malfoy's manor."

Harry sat there in aw of a few moments. What were they going to do now? Malfoy had found a way to place curses on her when he was no where near her. What would he do next?

"Just promise me that when the auror department decides to take Draco Malfoy down, you let me know. I want to be there when it happens."

"You can bet it will. Just don't mention the talk we just had to Lily okay? I don't want her to know I talked to you about this. I just thought you should know," Jack stood up and walked up the stairs and out of sight.

Jack listened carefully at the door to his bedroom. He could hear someone crying on the other side, and something deep inside him began to ache. It did not sound like she was crying out of sorrow, but rather out of pain. He walked into the bedroom as quietly was he could and stood over the bed looking down at her. She had her back to him and was shaking, but not from her tears.

She turned around when she felt his presence and he saw the distress in her eyes. "Jack, I didn't hear you come in," she said through her tears trying desperately to sound upbeat.

He removed his robes and everything else besides his boxers before climbing into bed next to her. He pulled her onto his chest and rubbed her back, "Lily, you're trembling. Are you still hurting?"

He felt her tears fall onto his bare chest as she answered in a very shaky voice, "My whole body aches."

"Tell me what I can do," he pleaded sounding worried.

"You're doing it right now. I told you I feel better when you're here."

He held her as close as possible and ran his hands through her long black wavy hair. "What happened tonight?" he asked as casually as he could. He didn't want her getting upset.

"I have no idea," she said after a momentary pause. Something in the back of his mind told him she wasn't telling him the whole truth. But he didn't want to press the issue tonight.

"Your Dad was worried about you. He said you looked tired when you came home."

"Yeah I know. We talked for a while," she slipped her leg over his trying to get closer to his warmth. He kissed her forehead in response.

"Try and go to sleep. But clear your mind first. We don't want you having any nightmares again now do we," he joked sounding a lot more positive than he felt. She nodded her head and he looked down at her to find her eyes close. He breathed a sigh of relief and resolved to himself that he would not be getting any sleep tonight.

a/n- tell me what you think! I know this chapter may be a little disappointing, but I needed a transition. It gets better I promise! Thanks for taking the time to read it!


	2. Chapter Two: Home Again

a/n- Sorry for the long wait, but here is chapter two. Hope it was worth the wait!

Chapter Two: Home Again

Smoke billowed from the steam engine of the Hogwarts Express on the bright and sunny day that was September 1st. Ron, Hermione, and Harry found themselves a compartment at the end of the train. Joe was also with them, sticking close by his mother's side. They were the only teachers who did not arrive early to school, but they were also the only students with children still attending school.

"So, Ginny left early this morning?" Hermione wondered.

"Yeah, the kids aren't arriving until the end of the week, but she's going to be really busy getting everything ready. Once the kids arrive she's going to start looking for a place in Hogsmade to stay. She won't have to be at the orphanage 24/7 and she wants someplace else where she can go for down time," Harry told her.

"Are you dating my sister again, Potter?" Ron asked with a slight edge in his voice.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Harry told him smiling to himself at the thought. He was dating Ginny Weasley. He felt like he was seventeen years old all over again.

"Well, just treat her right, got it?" Ron advised in a lighthearted tone. "Don't go doing anything stupid like trying to protect her again, because I may just have to hurt you this time."

"I'll keep that in mind," Harry said laughing. The three sat in silence for a few minutes while the other students found their way onto the train and into their compartments.

"Are you nervous Harry," Ron asked suddenly.

"No…not really," Harry replied though Ron and Hermione were still unconvinced.

Jack and Lily had been behind them coming through the barrier and they hoped they had made it on the train okay. The giant mass of people surrounding the train made keeping track of people difficult. The train gave a sudden jerk and began moving forward, slowly at first, then steadily picking up speed.

"It's funny really…all of us here together again. This is where we first met," Hermione stated looking around allowing the memories to flow through her mind.

"Yeah I know what you mean," said Ron.

"Do you remember how much we used to dread Malfoy's visit to our compartment each year," Hermione mused her smile changing.

"How could I forget," Harry said with disgust. "Looks like he turned out just like everyone thought he would."

"Yeah he sure did. Though I don't think anyone anticipated him to turn out quite as bad as he did," Ron said as Joe curled up and fell asleep next to Hermione.

"Didn't you say that Neville was teaching at Hogwarts now," Harry remembered them talking about this the day he first arrived at their house weeks ago. It seemed like a lifetime ago now that he looked back at all that had happened since then.

"Yep, Neville started teaching about two years after you left," Hermione said looking out the window at the landscape passing them by.

"Did he ever get married or have children," Harry wondered.

"Nope," Ron said, "Neville's married to Herology!"

The compartment door slide open and Jack and Lily walked in hand in hand with grim looks on their faces. The entered the compartment in silence and sat down next to their fathers and across from each other. "This is too weird," Lily said under her breath.

"What's weird," Harry asked.

"Everyone keeps looking at me like I'm going to disappear at any moment. Like I'm not real," she looked down and played with her hands in her lap.

"They look at me funny too," Harry said nudging her shoulder. She looked up at him and offered him a small smile.

"People will get used to things in time. It will get better," Hermione reassured her.

"Well it doesn't look like we're going to be at Hogwarts very much this year so I guess it doesn't really matter what people think," Jack said looking at his father and then Harry.

"What do you mean," Harry asked apprehensively.

Jack spoke for the both of them as Lily remained silent looking out the window at the fleeting landscape. "The ministry is asking us to be there at six in the morning everyday Monday though Friday. We're hoping they are going to let us be back at Hogwarts by dinner time, but I'm not holding my breath. Then Lily's got to be at St. Mungos every Saturday and Sunday morning until one in the afternoon. And somewhere in all our lack of free time we have to find time to keep up with our head duties and manage the Qudditch team."

"You're making me tired just thinking about it. But speaking of head duties I guess we better go check on the rest of the students. Make sure no one is making trouble," Lily stood up and adjusted her robes, "We'll probably see you when the train gets into Hogsmade. Bye Dad."

Jack and Lily spent the next hour walking up and down the corridor of the train looking in on all the compartments making sure all the students were behaving. They had a meeting with the school prefects to discuss the usual topics; hallway patrol, house points, proper conduct, etc.

Once they where done they walked back towards the back of the train and found a compartment that was empty, "Let's go in here till we get to school," Jack suggested.

"Sure," Lily said opening the door and taking a seat closest to the window. Jack came in behind her and closed the door. He drew the shades so no one could walk by and look in on them. He had the sneaking suspension that the student's behavior towards Lily was beginning to get to her.

"It isn't that bad is it," Jack asked hopefully.

"No, not that bad," Lily lied knowing exactly what he was talking about.

He sat down next to her and leaned his head against the top of his seat. He closed his eyes and pretended to rest, when really he was trying to see inside her head and find out what she was thinking. When he sensed her turn back toward the window he opened his eyes and looked over at her. She looked sad and tired against the early afternoon sunshine coming through the window glass. Yet she was still beautiful. But she would always be beautiful in his eyes.

He was beginning to worry about the nightmares and daytime attacks of pain she had been having. She was afraid to go to sleep at night because she didn't want to have a nightmare. He knew she hated for him to see her when she was like that, he just wished she would let him help. In the two nights since the attack she suffered at the ministry he woke up three times in the middle of the night to find her not in bed. He went downstairs and discovered she was sleeping on the sofa. He knew she didn't like him to see her when she was in pain, but it didn't stop him from wanting to be there.

Entering her mind he found she was thinking about a hundred different things all at once. But one thought caught his attention. He heard her mind make a comment about him. She thought, 'How can he sleep on a train that's thrashing about like this, I swear he can sleep through anything.'

"I am not sleeping Miss Potter," he said out loud opening his eyes just enough in time to see her reaction.

She turned around slowly with a wide smile on her face. "Have you been in my head again Weasley? I thought we had sworn never to do that without the other's permission. I most certainly didn't give you my permission to enter my thoughts, now did I?"

"Hey you've done it on numerous occasions without my permission. So I just see this as payback," he put an arm around her shoulders and protectively pulled her onto his chest. She nestled up next to him with her head under his chin.

"Like when," she asked accusingly.

"The night I first told you I had feelings for you. Or should I say the night you discovered I had feelings for you."

"Oh yeah…that…now I remember," she said sounding distinctly like she was nodding off.

"Yes, now you remember," he teased kissing the top of her forehead and rubbing her back gently hoping she would go off to sleep and finally get some rest. After a few minutes her breathing slowed and she didn't make any further movements. He then knew she was asleep and sighed in relief.

Their compartment door opened and Jack's friend Brad entered with his girlfriend Mea. Brad saw Lily asleep on Jack's shoulder and whispered, "We'll come back later and let her sleep."

"No it's okay. She'll sleep through anything when she's like this. She…um, hasn't been sleeping too well lately," Jack said at a regular tone of voice. He was right; Lily never even batted an eyelid.

"So, how is she?" Mea asked as she took a seat across from them next to Brad.

"She's been better," Jack admitted.

"How are you?" Brad asked putting an arm around his girlfriend as well.

"I'm fine…why wouldn't I be?" Jack asked sounding annoyed.

"It's just the last time I saw you…you were pretty upset. What with the funeral and all," Brad replied appearing to be sorry he had brought the subject up.

"I'll just be glad when we get Malfoy and make him pay for what he's done," Jack told his friends with determination in his voice.

"Just don't go doing anything stupid okay, Jack? You're not going to do Lily any good if you go and get yourself killed over Malfoy," Brad advised.

"I won't do anything rash," Jack promised. He would have gone on but he stopped when he felt Lily's body tense up. She slid off his chest and fell to the floor of the train and in a few seconds she was whimpering in pain.

"What should we do?" Brad asked in a panic as he and Mea got to their feet in shock.

Jack fell to his knees and tried to comfort her. "Brad, go and find her father. He's in the last compartment with my parents. Mea, go and keep the other kids away from here and put up a silencing charm if you can," he said desperately.

They left the compartment in a hurry to complete their tasks leaving Jack and Lily alone. He looked down at her fragile body and his heart broke to see her this way. She was curled up in a little ball once more. Her eyes were open and she was blinking back tears. When he touched her shoulder she only moaned louder in pain and said, "Please don't touch me…it hurts so much!"

Harry and Ron came in a few seconds later at a run. "What the hell happened?" Harry demanded.

"I don't know…she was fine one minute and the next she got all ridged and fell over like this, just like before. What are we going to do? The ministry doesn't want us taking her to the hospital, and I'm not sure they would be much help anyway," Jack said frantically.

Harry dropped to his knees on the other side of her and Ron went out to help Mea and Brad keep the other students from finding out what was going on. "Lily honey, tell us what we can do," Harry said comfortingly.

"Nothing…It'll pass," she whispered with her eyes now closed tight. She gripped her legs around her ankles and held them close to her chest.

Jack looked up and saw a tear run down Harry's face. He knew Harry had been under the Cruciatus Curse himself years ago, but it was most likely just as hard seeing someone else under it and more so when that person was his only daughter.

After several more minutes the pain showed signs of subsiding and for the first time Lily reached out and took Jack's hand. Harry and Jack looked at each other thankful that it was over and helped her sit up. She was so weak that once she was upright she collapsed against Jack's chest. She didn't cry or say anything; she just sat there in silence wrapped in Jack's arms.

Harry stood up and nodded to Jack. "You take care of her now, Jack." He then left the room in a bit of a trance, obviously shaken by what had just happened.

Once Harry left the room, Jack felt Lily's body begin to tremble and noticed she was crying. He held her tighter to his chest and rubbed her back, "You just go right ahead and cry, Lil. Never let anyone tell you you're weak for crying."

She continued to cry quietly for a few moments and then spoke up. "I just don't understand why I can't stop these things from happening. Why don't I see them coming. I feel like he's controlling my life now like he did when I was in that prison cell."

All he could do was hold her and try to make her feel safe. He knew nothing he ever said would make her feel any better about what was happening to her. They sat there in complete silence for several moments as the train jostled and bumped its way to Hogsmade village. No one else entered the room or knocked on the door to see if they were okay. Obviously Mea and Brad had prevented the other students from learning about what had happened.

The train pulled up to the station and came to an unsteady stop. The sounds of excited kids and loud moving luggage could be heard all around them, and still Lily made no attempted to stand up. They were still sitting on the floor, like they had been after Lily's attack had ended. She had her head resting on his chest with his chin still resting on top of it.

Jack looked down and brushed a strand of her hair out of her eyes. When she didn't move or respond to this gesture, he tried talking to her, "Lil, I think we're here. Do you want to wait until all the others get into carriages to leave? Can you walk?"

She sat up slowly and let out a deep breath. "No, we should get going now. Where is my Dad? Does he know what happened?"

"You don't remember him coming in here?"

"No…I don't remember anything about the attacks except for the pain," she said softly. He stood and offered her his hand to pull her to her feet. She smiled and took it gratefully. "What would I do without you Jack? You've helped me through so much, and all I seem to do is cause you pain and heartache," looking away from him he could see tears appear in the corner of her eyes again.

He placed a finger beneath her chin and forced her to look at him, "I never want to hear you say anything like that again. You are the best thing in my life. There is no where I would rather be than right here with you." He kissed her softly then pulled away to study her appearance. She was pale and sick looking slightly. Her eyes still had dark circles under them and her robes looked a size or two too big. She was almost as weak as she had been when they brought her back from Malfoy's manor. Yet her eyes still held that all too familiar glow.

She leaned her head against his chest and took another deep breath, "Okay, let's go."

He placed an arm around her to help her walk and took a step outside the compartment. Once outside the train they saw that most students had already left for Hogwarts. Harry and Jack's parents were the only ones waiting for them.

"Is everything okay?" Hermione asked nervously looking at Lily's exhausted expression.

"Everything's fine, Aunt Hermione," Lily said climbing into the carriage with Jack's help.

Before Jack could step up into the carriage Harry grabbed his arm gently. "How is she really," Harry asked intensely searching Jack's eyes for the truth.

Jack glanced back at Lily who had her head resting against the side of the carriage and her eyes closed. He whispered, "I'll come and talk to you later tonight Harry, okay?"

Harry nodded appreciatively and allowed him to get into the carriage with the others. Once they were all inside the carriage began to move unevenly and travel towards Hogwarts castle. Lily did not move for the first few minutes of the short journey. She shivered slightly and Jack took off his robes to put around her shoulders. She smiled and placed her head on his shoulder.

Sitting across from them Harry observed Jack and Lily's behavior closely. He watched as Jack wrapped an arm around his daughter and held her close, kissing to top of her head affectionately. He watched as Jack closed his eyes, looking completely worn out himself. These two had been through more than most couples do in a lifetime. Lily seemed to get her strength from Jack, and he seemed to always be close by when she needed him. Jack looked over at him and shook his head, sending a nonverbal communicative message that all was not well.

When the carriage arrived at the steps to Hogwarts allowing everyone to got out and they hurried up to join the others who were already inside. Once they entered the Great Hall, Hermione went to drop Joe off with Madam Jefter in the hospital wing and Harry and Ron went to join the other teachers at the staff table. Jack and Lily made their way to the head of the Gryffindor table. As luck would have it, they were so far behind the other carriages that the sorting had already ended. Gryffindor welcomed five new first years to their house, including Jack's little brother Brandon.

Once everyone settled down Professor McGonagall stood up and gave the official start of term notices and announcements. She wished everyone a pleasant term and the feast began. Everyone agreed that Professor McGonagall was a fantastic Headmistress, but she did not compare to the legend that was Albus Dumbledore.

Lily ate very little at dinner, and mostly tried to pretend to be cheerful and mingle with the students around them. Jack didn't eat very much of his dinner either, he just picked at his food and talked with the people he hadn't seen in three months. It was strange how a matter of months can change a person. Jack had been friends with some of the people around him for years, but now they seemed to belong to a totally different world. A world he had once belonged to, but now was shunned from returning to. All they seemed to be concerned with was who was dating whom and what Qudditch team and the best shot at the next cup. He loved Qudditch but not like he once did. Everything seemed to have lost its luster.

Professor McGonagall stood up once everyone was finishing up dinner, "I have a few more announcements that need to be made before I dismiss you all to your dormitories. I would like all of you to join me in welcoming Professor Harry Potter to our staff. He will be taking up the post of Defense against the Dark Arts teacher," she paused to allow the students to clap and cheer for a few seconds, and then she held her hand up to silence them. "I would also like to introduce our new Head Boy and Girl, Jack Weasley and Lily Potter." Again the Great Hall erupted in cheers as Jack and Lily stood turning red slightly.

"I will need to see Potter and Weasley after I dismiss everyone so that I may show you to your new living quarters. As for the rest of you, you may all head back to your dormitories. I ask the house prefects to remember to show your first years the most direct paths to your dormitories and make sure they know the password. You are dismissed."

Jack and Lily remained seated while all the other students stood up and left the Great Hall. "It's going to be weird not sleeping in Gryffindor Tower this year. I totally forgot about having our own dormitory," Lily mused.

"I know I can't help but feel isolated. We can go into the common room whenever we want though. We are still in Gryffindor even if we don't live there anymore." Jack admitted as they stood and walked toward the staff table. He saw Lily sway out of the corner of his eye and took her hand firmly to help steady her. "You really should have eaten more," he said as they approached the staff table preventing her from responding.

"You two may follow me. Professor Potter and Professor Weasley and Granger, you may come too if you like so you will know where the dormitory is as well," McGonagall said as she stood up and led the way out of the Great Hall through the back entrance.

They followed her to the library entrance where she took a turn down a hallway none of them had noticed before. "This hallway will open to all of you, but will be unseen to everyone else. If you want others to have access to it you will have to let me know so that I can have their names added," McGonagall explained. She continued down the hallway until she came to a set of double doors with lion heads as doorknobs.

"This is the entrance to your rooms. I have made a password for you, though you may change it to whatever you like. I recommend you change it at least once every month or so. The password is Gryffinfender," as she said this word the lock unlatched and the door opened slowly to reveal a large living room with shelves of books and a grand fireplace. In front of the fireplace were two overstuffed deep red armchairs and an L-shaped couch. On either side of the room were another set of double doors. On the door to the left read the words Lily Elizabeth Potter, and on the right hand side read Jack Jasper Weasley.

"I trust you will find all your belongings in your rooms. I have been informed of your schedules and so has the rest of the staff. I want you both to know I have complete faith that you will do your jobs to the best of your ability. I know this year is going to be tough, but I know it's nothing the two of you can't handle. You both are made of strong material," she smiled back at Harry, Ron, and Hermione as she spoke. "Oh and please inform me of when you will be holding the first Qudditch practice. I would like to see you all in action. I guess that's all I have to say to you. It is my understanding that you will not be working at the ministry for at least a week or so. It looks like some rest will do you both good." She walked over to Lily who had been staring at the crackling fire since they entered the room. Professor McGonagall took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye, "I speak for the staff as well as the students Miss Potter when I say it's good to have you back. We all missed you and are glad you are finally safe and back where you belong."

"Thank you Professor," she said halfheartedly.

Professor McGonagall turned around and left the room in silence. Lily stood up and walked toward her father, "I'm turning in early tonight. I'll see you tomorrow Dad. I love you," she gave him as big of a hug as she could manage and walked over to the door to her room. Jack motioned for Harry to wait here and followed her into the room.

Lily was already sitting on the bed by the time he walked in the room and shut the door behind him. The bedroom was spacious and decorated in Gryffindor colors. There was a queen size four poster bed, another armchair by the window, dresser and vanity, bookshelves again filled with books, and a large spacious desk and chair. The room had a private bathroom as well as its own closet.

After taking in the surroundings, Jack walked over to Lily and sat down on the edge of the bed. She was sitting up in bed with her back against the pillows. "Are you going to be okay here for a little while? I've got some things I need to take care of," he asked looking at her still beautiful face.

"I'll be fine. I think I'll sleep tonight, I'm so tired I could fall over," she said rubbing eyes.

"I know you are. I'll come back and check on you in a while," he said kissing her softly. He rose slowly and walked to the door. He glanced back before he left the room and saw she was already asleep. She hadn't ever bothered to remove her robes.

Jack closed the bedroom door behind him and turned to find only Harry in the room. His parents had obviously gone to bed already.

"Earlier you had said you wanted to talk to me," Harry reminded him.

Jack nodded his head, "Yeah, but not here," he glanced back at the door he had just come through. He didn't want Lily to wake up and overhear them talking. "Have you been to your quarters yet?"

"No."

"Why don't I walk you over there? I know where it is and we can talk on the way," Jack suggested.

"Sure, do you think she'll be okay here on her own," Harry asked glancing back at the bedroom door as well.

"She's safe here. Only certain people can come in here," Jack turned towards the door and opened it for Harry.

They walked down the hallway in silence. Jack was trying to decide what to tell Harry. He didn't want to worry him, but the situation was growing grimmer by the minute. He wasn't going to lie; he respected Harry too much to lie to him. When they left the library entranceway the hallway sealed itself and Jack led the way towards the staff's housing unit. The entrance to the staff's quarters was at the base of the long staircase that led to the divination class room. There was a knight statue that stood guard over the entranceway and kept the password. When they arrived at the statue Jack turned to Harry smiling sheepishly.

"I think I'd be correct in assuming that they changed the password since last year. Do you happen to know what the new one is?"

"Pixies," Harry said after thinking for a second, "McGonagall told me before she left. So what is it you wanted to talk to me about, Jack?"

"Well, it's obviously about Lily. You asked me how she was earlier and I couldn't have told you the truth with her right there. She will kill me if she finds out I've been talking to you about how bad things are getting," Jack ran his hands through his curly hair in frustration as they walked down the long hall with doors on either side of it bearing the name of the professor to which the room belonged to. Harry's room was the last on the right.

"I'm more worried about her now than I've ever been. She seems defeated, like she doesn't want to keep fighting. I came to you once and told you about something she wouldn't have wanted me to talk to you about. I'm glad I did because she's your daughter and you've got a right to know what's going on. That's why I'm telling you this now. I haven't even gone to my own parents about this," Jack said looking down. Harry opened the door and stepped aside to let him pass through.

The room looked exactly like his parents. It was small but cozy and welcoming at the same time. Harry glanced around for a second and then turned back to Jack. "I really appreciate you telling me the truth about all this."

"Yeah well the truth is I'm scared to death. I don't know what to do anymore. Believe me when I say this Harry…I have never seen Lily scared a day in her life until about a year ago. She is the bravest person I know. She used to hate to feel weak and in need of help," Jack looked Harry in the eye with sincerity. "I guess now she just feels ashamed."

"It's a Potter thing. She probably gets it from me and I get it from my father," Harry joked in a still serious tone.

"She won't admit it but I know she's terrified. I don't know how much more of this she can take," he stated sounding overwhelmed himself.

Harry walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, "You just need to be there for her when she needs you. You're good to her and she knows that. There's another thing about Potters that you've most likely already figured out. When we fall in love, we usually fall hard. She needs you more than she really knows and I think that also scares her a little bit. Also, if she really is a Potter she might try and push you away. I've been known for doing it in the past so I wouldn't be surprised if she were to try it. Whatever you do, don't let her do it. Thank you for telling me the truth and keep me informed. I think you'd better get back to her before she realizes were you're gone."

He nodded and gave Harry a sideways smile. "Thanks Harry."

"Hey, what are godfathers for?" Harry said clearly a lot more lightheartedly than he really felt.

"I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast," said Jack as he closed the door behind him and walked swiftly down the hallway and back through the entrance. When he passed his parents room he contemplated going in to say goodnight but glanced at his watch and figured they were already in bed.

Jack hardly noticed his surroundings as he walked through the halls back towards his room. His mind was on other things. Every corner of this castle held some kind of memory. He had grown up here and suddenly he remembered that he wouldn't be coming back next year. That thought was enough to rip at his heart slightly. Sure he would be able to come back and visit his parents every once in a while, but it would never be the same.

Finally arriving at his dorm he muttered the password and stepped inside. He was about to go in a check on Lily when he spotted her sitting on the couch by the fire. She was wearing flannel pants and a Gryffindor Qudditch t-shirt that everyone on the team had been given every year. She sat there and didn't even turn to face him when he entered the room.

He walked over to her and sat down, putting a strong arm around her to pulling her shivering body close to him. "Jesus Potter, you'll be the death of me! Why aren't you in bed?"

"Because you're not in bed with me," she said placing her head on his shoulder. The tip of her nose touched his neck and the coldness of it sent shivers through his own body.

"You're freezing," he observed as he swung her legs onto his lap and pulled her closer. He held her for a few moments in silence then spoke again. "Lily, are you okay. I mean really, I want to know the truth."

"No, I'm not okay. But I will be one day when all this is over," she replied simply.

He kissed the top of her head and slid a hand under her knees and placed a hand on her back. In one swift move he stood up with her in his arms and walked towards his room. She placed her arms around his neck and looked up at him through tired loving eyes. The door magically opened for him and he stepped inside. He put her on the ground and kissed her lips warmly yet innocently as he placed his hands on her hips and closed his eyes. When he pulled away he looked her right in the eye and said, "I need you to promise me something."

"What?" she asked placing her arms around his neck again and pulling her body against his.

"I need you to always be honest with me. If training gets too rough or your nightmares or attacks change in anyway I need you to tell me."

"I never meant to lie to you about anything," she said pulling away slightly and looking down. Her hands slipped to his chest and she looked uncomfortable. He knew this wasn't her favorite subject to discuss.

"I know, but you haven't exactly been truthful with me about the severity of all this. Now tell me…how long had you been having those attacks before you had one in front of me?"

"Since you found me in that cell," she confessed looking ashamed at herself.

Jack took a cleansing breath and looked way for a second though he never let go of her. "Lily, why would you keep that from me?"

"Do you think I like feeling weak and dependent Jack? Do you think I like living every minute of my life in fear that something else is going to happen? That was never the person I was before, but it's the person I've become. I'm scared every second I'm not with you. I'm afraid that something is going to happen and I'm never going to see you again," She pulled way from him and walked over to his bed to lean against the frame.

He took several steps towards her and stood so close that he nearly pinned her where she stood. "I know you don't like to feel that way. I know that more than anyone because I know you better than anyone. But it is not a sign of weakness. Most people would have given up and died in that cell but not you. You hung on and were there when I found you. Everything is going to be okay."

He reached up at tucked a strand of her black hair behind her ear. Her eyes were glazing over with tears. She closed her eyes preventing tears from falling, and shook her head. "You don't know that everything is going to be okay. You can't predict the future, or at least our future."

He looked at her in partial amazement this time. She was never one to make negative comments like that before all this happened. She sensed his hesitation and looked away from him once more. After several moments of awkward silence she took a step towards the door as if to go back to her own room. Jack reached out and grabbed her shirt around the stomach and tried forcing her to look at him. She got the hint and raised her gaze to meet his.

"Oh yes, I can predict what's going to happen to us in the end," he said coming closer to her and wrapping his arms around her lower waist. She was stiff with emotion and did not move to embrace him in return. "We're going to get through this year, and have a kick ass time with all our friends. We're going to graduate at the top of our class. Then we're going to officially become aurors, and you'll officially be a healer. One day perhaps soon I'm going to ask you to marry me and if I'm lucky enough you're going to say yes. We've got our whole lives ahead of us Lil, and I'm going to try my hardest to keep you as safe as I can."

"Jack-" she started to say, but was silenced when he covered her mouth with his. He kissed her possessively and lifted her up placing her in a sitting position on the bed with him still standing on the floor. She tangled her hands in his hair and leaned her head back as he kissed his way down her neck moving her baggy shirt off her shoulder to do the same there as well.

He pulled back abruptly and stared down at her, "Hold on…I know you're tired. We should really get some sleep."

She nodded and fell back against the bed and she moved up towards the pillows. He removed his own cloths and put on his pajamas before getting into bed beside her. She looked like she was asleep already. He just lied there a few seconds not wanting to touch her and wake her up again. Then she turned over and rested her head on his chest. She draped her arm across his abdomen and snuggled closer. He rubbed her back and eased her back into a hopefully blissful sleep.

Sleep seemed to mock Harry as he lay in his bed that night staring up at the ceiling wide wake. No matter what he did, he just couldn't turn off his mind and close his eyes for more than thirty seconds. He had a million thoughts running through his mind. About what had happened today with Lily. About Malfoy and the ever present threat against Lily's life. About Ginny and what exactly they were doing. About teaching his first class tomorrow and making a complete fool of himself.

"Oh, forget it," he muttered as he rolled over from his stomach and sat up in bed with his head in his hands.

"Forget what?" A voice asked calmly and suddenly from the doorway.

Harry was so startled that he looked up and grabbed his wand at the same time, pointing it at an unsuspecting Ginny. "Jesus Gin, I could have hexed you! How did you get in here so quietly?"

She smiled at his reaction and walked over to his bed to sit down next to him. "You were too busy fuming over who knows what to even notice I had come in the room. You must have been one poor auror if you can't even sense someone coming into your bedroom and standing over you for about five minutes."

He looked over at her with a lopsided grin. "Well that's just cruel," he said before wrapping an arm around her waist, throwing her down on his bed, and tickling her relentlessly. Ginny squealed and tried for several unsuccessful seconds to fight back, but she finally gave up and looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

"Do you give up?" He asked as he held her arms down and gazed down at her.

"Never on you," she said seriously with a small smile.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said before he leaned down and kissed her gently. She returned his gesture with equal fever until he pulled back. "Gin, what are we doing exactly?"

"Don't tell me I need to explain the birds and the bees to you, Harry," she joked light heartedly.

He laughed at her but continued his serious questioning. "You know what I mean. Lily and I had a little talk before we left and she asked me what was going on between us. I didn't really know what to say."

"I thought we'd settled this," she sighed.

"Gin, I just want to make it clear what I'm in this for," he told her definitively.

"And just what are you in this for?" She wondered intently.

"I'm in this for forever," he answered without waver. Ginny gazed up at him with an unreadable expression. Harry waited for her response for several anxious seconds before her face lit up in a sly grin.

"Good to see we're on the same page here, Potter. Now do you think you can actually calm down enough to get some sleep?"

"You think I'll be able to sleep with you here? You think I _want_ to sleep with you here?" He asked enthusiastically.

"I could just leave then," she said making a move to sit up until Harry kept her in place.

"I don't think so. I've got other things on my mind now besides sleep," he retorted as he silenced her from any further argument.

a/n- That's it! Tell me what you think, please!


	3. Chapter Three: An Instance of Healing

a/n- In this chapter, part of a song is used. The song is by Faith Hill called "There You'll be." I'm not a big fan of her, but the words of the song fit with what I needed. I don't own it. Just thought I'd remind you. There is also a biblical verse. That isn't mine either.

Chapter Three: An Incidence of Healing

The next two days passed by in a whirlwind. Jack and Lily were busy with their head duties and resting up before go back to their training at the ministry. They hadn't seen much of their parents since the term began. Jack was used to this however. Ever since he stopped being a member of their class, he rarely got the change to talk to them accept on the weekends.

Harry loved teaching. He found that it was truly his calling and silently wished he had stumbled upon it sooner. The orphanage was all set to open. Ginny had been very busy with all the preparation and much to Harry's dismay, they hadn't seen each other since she left his quarters very early on the day after their arrival. They did have plans to go out together on their fist actual date this weekend. Jack and Lily had assisted him in getting his classroom together and they were planning on setting in on a few of his lessons just to see how he did in the beginning before things got too busy.

On the third day Jack spent most of the morning in McGonagall's office talking to her about Qudditch and their plans for the year. He took a short walk around the grounds before he headed back to his dorm to see Lily. He had left her in bed asleep that morning and hadn't seen her at breakfast. When he got there he found their dorm empty. There was a note on his bed.

Jack,

I went for a walk and some fresh air. I won't be long- Love, Lily

He tossed the note back on his bed and looked out the window at the afternoon sunshine. It was only by coincidence that his eyes fell on the site of Lily and Harry's graves. Neither of them had been taken down yet. They were on the east corner of the property, on the edge of the forest. He saw the shadow of a person standing there, though he could not really see the persons face. He knew exactly who it was and he left his room at a run. The trip down to the grave site was all a blur. He passed students on their way to and from class; it was a weekday after all. They all looked at him strangely but none of them stopped to ask him what was wrong.

Once he got outside and ran across the seemingly endless distance to the small graveyard he slowed his pace not wanting to scare her. She was wearing dark jeans and one of his old hooded sweatshirts. Even from behind he could see her hands were covering her mouth and her shoulders shook with soft sobs.

"Lily," he said placing a hand on her shoulder and turning her around. Her face was red from crying and when she saw him she only cried harder. "You really shouldn't be here," he continued hoping she would say something.

But she said nothing. She simply collapsed in his arms and continued crying. He held her close and against his better judgment, looked back at the grave with her name on it. It gave no birth date and no death date, but then again Harry's grave didn't have his dates on it either. The stone read:

_Lily Elizabeth Potter_

_Cherished Daughter_

_Beloved Girlfriend_

_Irreplaceable Friend_

"_For everything there is a season,  
And a time for every matter under heaven:  
A time to be born, and a time to die;  
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;  
A time to kill, and a time to heal;  
A time to break down, and a time to build up;  
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;  
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;  
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;  
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;  
A time to seek, and a time to lose;  
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;  
A time to tear, and a time to sew;  
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  
A time to love, and a time to hate,  
A time for war, and a time for peace."_

In the left hand corner of the stone, there was another inscription.

_In my dreams  
I'll always see your soul  
Above the sky  
In my heart  
There always be a place  
For you for all my life  
I'll keep a part  
Of you with me  
And everywhere I am  
There you'll be_

_With love- Jack, Andy, Kyle, Brandon, Joe, Brad, Mea, Dylan, and Christy _

He recalled all to well the morning of her funeral. Those words seemed so formal to him both then and now. Rather ironic because he never thought of Lily as a formal person. How could one sum up all she was by those simple words? She was so much more than the grave marker gave her credit for. He had stared at those words through the entire ceremony. He couldn't remember a single thing anyone had said. He just remembered after everyone had left that he and Harry stood over the grave for what seemed like forever. Neither one of them said anything to the other. Harry was the first to leave allowing Jack time to say goodbye on his own.

His mind snapped back to reality when Lily finally spoke for the first time. "I'm so sorry Jack," she said clinging to the front of his robes. "I put you through this. I put my father through this. I put your family through it too. I caused so many people so much pain. No matter what I say or do I know I'll never be able to make it right."

"You didn't do anything. It was Malfoy who did this to us and never forget it!" He said pulling her away to look her in the eye. She looked at him her tears and he knew she wasn't buying what he was telling her.

"None of you should have to deal with this. You should be spending your time having careless fun with your friends. You shouldn't be worrying about being with me all the time out of fear that I can't handle being alone! It makes me feel so guilty because I know I'm holding you back from doing all the things you're entitled to do. You deserve so much better than me, and there is nothing I can do to change the way things are," he shook his head and tried to get her to stop and let him speak but she kept going. "I feel so lost. I feel like a part of me was taken away and I can't get it back. I feel like a totally different person sometimes," she declared throwing up her hands in frustration.

"Nothing has changed," Jack tried to convince her.

"Do you remember that huge fight we had last year after Allan died? When I was so upset about killing those death eaters."

"Yes," he said curious to see why she had brought that up again. They usually avoided talking about it.

"Do you remember when you told me that you looked into my eyes and didn't know what you were seeing?"

"Yes, I remember." he also remembered how much he had regretted saying that after it was too late to take it aback.

"What do you see in my eyes now, Jack?" She challenged standing up straight and looking him in the eye.

He took a moment to gaze into the endless depths of her electric eyes. He placed a hand on her cheek and with the pad of his thumb brushed away some of the moisture that had fallen from her eyes. "I see fear. I know you're scared because you don't know what's going on and you don't know how to control it," he paused for a second before he went on. "But I also see the same girl I have been in love with for years. The same girl I would die to protect."

"I don't want you to die protecting me, Jack, and you shouldn't have to feel that its your job to protect me. Maybe it would be better if we just back off and I let you life a normal life for once. I don't want you to resent me for holding you back years from now when you look back on all this and realize just all that you've missed out on."

He stared at her in disbelief for a few seconds and then pulled her to him, crushing her frail body against his strong chest. "I know what you're trying to do and I won't let you do it. I am not letting you push me away, Lily Potter! There is no place I would rather be than right her with you, I've told you that! No one blames you and no one ever will! And there is no need for anyone to forgive you."

She stood there in his arms as tears fell from her eyes silently. "What if I can't forgive myself?"

He had to take a deep breath after hearing that bold statement. What was he supposed to say to help her through this? He had never felt this way about something before, and therefore he couldn't relate to what she was going through. But he did know someone who could help her, someone who had felt this way before.

He felt her go limp in his arms and had to hold on to her tight in order to keep her from falling to the ground. He scooped her up in his arms effortlessly and began to walk swiftly back to the castle. Once inside he didn't even bother taking her back to their bedroom, he walked straight for the hospital wing. Classes where letting out for the day and students where staring at him with Lily in his arms. They looked confused and worried as he continued down the hallway staring straight ahead. He saw his brother Andrew leaving their mother's transfiguration classroom.

"Jack, what is it?" Andy asked looking at Lily concerned.

"I need you to go and get Harry for me. Tell him that I need him in the hospital wing right away," Jack said as he walked passed his brother quickly. Andrew gave him no reply. He simply did as he was told.

Andrew walked down the hallway and up two flights of stairs to Harry's classroom. He found his godfather sitting at his desk in an empty room reading something and smiling.

"Jack sent me to tell you that he needs you in the hospital wing. It's Lily," he said simply not finishing the comment completely.

"What happened?" Harry asked as the smile dropped from his face and he stood up abruptly knocking over his chair.

"I don't know. I got out of class and ran into him in the hallway carrying Lily in his arms. She was unconscious and looked like she'd been crying." Andrew said all this very fast as Harry ran past him through the door and to the hospital wing.

Harry approached the doors to the wing and found Jack walking back and forth nervously. "Jack, what happened?" Harry asked frantically.

When Jack turned to see Harry he grabbed his shoulders and looked at him desperately. Harry couldn't believe how upset he was. It almost seemed as if he was desperate for something. He spoke in a raspy voice, "She passed out…I came back from McGonagall's office and she left me a note saying she went for a walk. I founded her standing by your graves crying hysterically. She said things…I don't know what to say to her anymore…Harry you've got to help her! Tell her how much we love her and that all of this is not her fault!"

"She thinks this is her fault?" Harry repeated astonished.

"Yes…she says she can't forgive herself for the pain she put us through. She thinks she's holding me back. That she's preventing me from having fun because I worry about her. She says I deserve more than she can give me. God, Harry…you have to tell her that's not true. I'd die if something happened to her," Jack shook Harry's shoulders slightly to enforce his point and then half sat half fell into the chair by the hospital wing doors. He sat there in silence with his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees.

Harry placed a hand on his shoulder and gripped it tightly. "I'll do what I can Jack," he said in a low voice as he walked through the door into the hospital wing.

He saw Madame Jefter sitting on the edge of a bed taking someone's pulse. It took him a minute to see who it was. Lily was still unconscious and very pale. He walked over to the bed and Madame Jefter motioned for him to sit in the chair placed on Lily's right hand bedside.

"I don't know what else I can do, Professor. None of my potions seem to help her with these nightmares she keeps having, or the other attacks. She is just going to have to fight this off on her own," she said shrugging her shoulders and standing up. She returned Lily's hand which she had been holding to monitor her pulse back on top of her stomach and walked to the other side of the bed closer to Harry.

"She's not alone," Harry said confidently as she turned and left them alone.

"She should wake up in a few minutes. Come and get me if there are any problems," she said before leaving them in peace.

He sat by Lily's bedside for what must have only been about a half hour, but for him the time dragged by endless. The gentle raising and falling of her chest was the only movement her body made. Her lips seemed to share in her body's paleness and the circles under her eyes were deeper than he had ever seen them.

Harry recalled all the times he had spent in this room in all his years of Hogwarts. He remembered being in here after his final battle with Voldermort, and feeling so glad that everything was over but at the same time feeling extremely guilty about all the people that had died along the way. He somehow felt that he should have been able to save them.

"Where am I?" asked in an unsteady voice from the bed drawing Harry out of his day dream. He took her hand and held it tight.

"You're in the hospital wing. Jack brought you here and sent his brother to get me. He said you passed out while you two were outside," she nodded as he finished his statement. She stared up at the ceiling showing no intention of talking about the incident, so he tried a different approach.

"Did I ever tell you why I became an auror," Harry asked when she gave no verbal reply to his first statement.

She shook her head again, "No, why?"

"I wanted to run away. I wanted something to take my mind off all that had happened and forget about all my feelings. So I threw myself into my work and made sure I was always away from those I loved. I guess I just thought I'd loose myself in it. I did it partly to make sure they were safe. Trouble seemed to follow me wherever I went and I had already caused my friends so much pain over the years. I wanted to give them a break. So I left. I know I hurt them by leaving, especially Ginny, but I told myself I was doing it for their own good," he said seriously looking her in the eye.

"Why are you telling me this, Dad?" she wondered looking puzzled.

"Because I don't want you to make the same mistake, Lily. I don't want you to shut out the people who love you, because in the end they're all you have. I wish I had done a million things differently. I wish I had told Ron and Hermione the truth all those times they asked me what was wrong. I wish I had trusted Ginny enough to let her help me. I wish I'd never left her and broken her heart along with everyone else. It was your mother that showed me how stupid I was behaving, but by then it was already too late to undo all the hurt I'd caused. I wanted to keep everyone safe, and that meant keeping the people I cared for the most in this world as away from me as possible. Or so I though. I did it to you too. I pushed you away when the going got tough because I thought you'd be safer without me around."

"How can I not feel guilty about all that's happened? I see the look everyone gives me when they see me in the halls. I know the pain I caused everyone!" She played with the edge of her blanket avoiding his gaze.

"You are just going to have to accept that there are some things in life that are out of your control," he answered solemnly. "You can do your best to shut out me and your Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron as well as the rest of their family. But you won't be able to shut out Jack. He won't let you."

"I know," she said, defeated.

"He loves you so much, Lily. I've never seen anyone love someone as much as he loves you. Let him help you, and don't feel guilty about it. Think about how things would be if the situation where reversed. Wouldn't you want to help him? Wouldn't you want to do everything in your power to take his pain away? I know you would. Let him do the same for you. Promise me you will not shut him out?"

She nodded her head after taking his points into consideration. She sat up in bed and propped herself up against the pillows behind her back. Harry smiled at her and asked, "So what do you want to do now?"

"I want to see Jack," she said assertively.

Harry stood up and kissed her forehead. "That's my girl! I'll go get him. He's waiting outside." Harry walked toward the door and found Jack sleeping in the chair he had left him in. The castle was beginning to grow dark as the sun dropped lower in the sky. They had missed dinner.

Harry walked over to Jack and woke him up by timidly shaking his shoulders, "She's asking for you," he said as Jack's eyes opened slightly.

At the sound of Harry's statement, Jack jumped to his feet and headed toward the door. He stopped before going inside and turned back to Harry. "Thank you," he said simply but with a great deal of emotion.

"Just take care of her for me, okay," Harry said with equal feeling.

"I will," Jack promised. He took a step forward, swung the door open and stepped inside. Lily was still sitting on the bed, but she was staring at the door waiting for him to enter. When she saw him her face broke into a huge grin and she held out a hand to him. She didn't say a word, but then again she didn't have to.

He half ran to get to her bedside and instead of taking her hand he sat down facing her and held her entire body close to his. She returned his embrace with as much energy as she had in her. They sat there for a while holding each other before she said anything. "Jack, will you do me a favor?"

"Anything," he said pulling way and taking both her hands.

"Get me out of here."

He nodded and got up from the bed. She swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood up. She swayed dangerously and he steadied her by placing and arm around her waist. Thinking better of the situation, he simply took her in his arms and walked toward the door.

"I think you like carrying me, Jack Weasley," she stated as she wrapped her own arms around his neck and settled her head on his shoulder.

"I guess you're right," he admitted as they once again made a spectacular of themselves walking through the halls of Hogwarts back to their dorm. Jack carried her to their door in complete silence and once inside he walked towards his bedroom.

"I take it I'm sleeping in here again tonight," she asked mischievously.

"You think I'd let you sleep anywhere but with me," he asked her as if it was the most absurd thing ever mentioned.

"You think you've got me wrapped around your little finger, don't you," she said as he set her down on the floor next to his bed.

"No, I think you've got me wrapped around your little finger," he said before kissing her on the tip of the nose and then the lips lightly.

"I think I'll take a shower before bed. Is it okay if I use yours?"

"Sure, but why don't you take a bath instead. My mum gave me some of this bedtime bath bubble potion that's supposed to help you sleep easy. I haven't even used it yet."

"That sounds nice. Maybe I won't be keeping you up with my dreams tonight then," she said as she took a step away from him towards the bathroom. He stopped her from walking any further by catching her slim wrist in his hand and pulling her back to where she had been in front of him.

"You've got to stop thinking that I don't want to stay up with you. I love you and I want to be there for you when you need me, okay?"

"Alright," she answered as she stood up on her toes to kiss him before leaving for the bathroom.

He walked over to the linen closet, got the bottle, and entered the bathroom through the open door. The water in the large tub was flowing and Lily was standing with her back to him trying to get his sweater off her back. He swore he heard her moan in pain as she showed difficulty in removing the sweater, so he immediately walked over to help her, and as he did he noticed bruises along her ribcage.

Once the sweater was over her head he turned her around to face him. "Love, did you have a dream or something last night?"

She now looked like a small child who had just been caught eating cookies before dinner. "When you went to bed last night I couldn't sleep so I went into the living room and read for about an hour. I ended up falling asleep out there, having the dream, and rolling off the couch. That's what woke me up. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Jack. It just didn't seem to be that big of a deal. I've been having them for awhile now."

"Lily, if something happens to you and it causes you pain then it's a big deal. Have you been sore all day long?" He knew she had been, but he wanted her to admit it to him.

"A little," she said with reluctance.

"Then I guess this bath should help," he said turning around and pouring the potion into the tub with was now becoming covered in purple bubbles and the room filled with the scent of lavender. He turned back to her and watched as she unzipped her pants and lowered them over her hips with difficulty. They were bruised as well.

"Let me help you. Turn around," he told her as he went to unhook her bra.

"I think you just like undressing me," she said after moving her long black curls out of his way. He successfully unclasped the bra and cast is aside with the pants and sweater. He leaned down and kissed her shoulders and neck lightly.

"And just what's wrong with that?" he asked before kissing her one last time and leaving the bathroom. "Don't fall asleep in there, Potter," he teased as he closed the door behind him. He walked into the living room to retrieve a book he wanted to read and saw his father sitting there by the fire.

"Hey Jack," Ron said as he noticed him standing there. "I wanted to check on how you guys were doing. Andy came by for dinner with your mother and I instead of going to the Great Hall with everyone else. He told me what happened."

"Lily's taking a bath. She apparently had another dream last night when she fell asleep out here. She's pretty sore but I think she'll be okay."

"That's good," Ron said as Jack took a seat across from him.

"Yeah, whatever Harry said to her today really most have gotten through to her. Wish I know what they talked about."

"I know what he told her," Ron revealed, "I've just been to see Harry. He's very upset about what happened today. He wants to have both those graves taken down."

"I think that's a good idea," Jack replied. "What did he and Lily talk about in the hospital wing?"

Ron paused to gather is thoughts for a second before answering Jack's question. "Harry told her that he didn't want her to end up doing what he did. He regrets leaving behind all the people who loved him and needed him. I'm not saying that he wasn't there for us when we really needed him, but he missed out on a lot of wonderful things that happened in our lives. He regrets that now looking back."

"I can't imagine leaving my best friends like that. To me, it would see easier to deal with difficult situations if I had the people I care about there to help me," Jack thought out loud.

"That's just the thing, Jack. Harry didn't just leave behind your mother and I. He left behind your Aunt Ginny was well," Ron revealed.

"I know there was something going on with them. Were they that serious?" Jack repeated a little bit confused.

Ron nodded. "They got together for the first time for a really short period at the end of our sixth year. Then Harry and your mum and I went to look for what we needed to defeat you know who so he broke it off. When the job was done they got back together for a little while but it didn't last either. Right after the Final Battle he and I joined the auror department, but he was always more serious about it than I was. He started being gone out of the country all the time. No one really knows what happened between them in the end. Ginny told me once that Harry told her they were just headed in two separate directions. She still had a year left of school and then she wanted to get some more education past that. Harry was knee deep in auror business by then and things just weren't working out. Their relationship unraveled really fast. Everyone thought they'd get married the summer after Ginny graduated because they seemed to really hit it off. Once Harry left to live in America they didn't see each other at all. The last time he saw her was when you were born. He came to see us a few hours after your mother gave birth and he and Ginny spent some time together. Things seemed awkward between them." Ron stopped talking when he realized that he'd been rambling.

"Wow, that's surprising," Jack muttered in deep thought. Of all his father's siblings he saw Aunt Ginny the least. She lived in America for as long as he could remember and until recently she almost never came home.

Ron began talking again before Jack could ask any questions. "The point is Harry now knows that he made a mistake. They're working things out. I know they've got a long way to go and I can't tell if they'll ever get back what they had, but they are trying. Harry doesn't want the same thing to happen with you and Lily. Don't let it, you hear me? No matter what she says or does…don't let her push you away. I promise you she'll try."

"That's never going to happen. Do you know if Harry would mind if I told Lily about this?"

"I don't think he'd care. I'm surprised neither of you haven't heard it from some member of the family."

"I think we both kind of knew there used to be something there between them especially the way they've been acting lately," he restated. "But no, we never knew the details."

"Well, I guess that's all I really had to say. You'd better check on Lily and I've got to get back to your mum," Ron stood up from his seat and walked toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, son."

Jack sat there in silence staring at the fire for ten or fifteen minutes. The bedroom door behind him opened and Lily padded across the floor and sat down next to him. She was wearing a pair of her old boxer shorts and his t-shirt which completely covered the boxers and ended just above her knees.

"You smell nice," Jack observed as she walked up.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she crawled onto his lap.

"Yeah," he said reassuringly as he pulled her closer to his chest and rubbed her back gently with both hands. "I'm ready for bed. What about you Miss Potter?"

"Sure," she said standing up and taking his hand. He followed her to his bed and spent the night holding onto her as tight as he possibly could without waking her up. He wondered how life could seem so incredibly perfect and so completely screwed up all at the same time.

Harry made the trip across the grounds to the new orphanage later that night after pretty much everyone had gone to bed. He'd sent an owl to Ginny after he visited Ron and asked her if she had time to see him tonight. He just got the response a few minutes ago and made his way over. The building was build about where Hagrid's old hut used to be before it was destroyed during the war. As he approached the front door to the house looking structure the front door opened and Ginny stepped out into the night air.

"Hello," she said happily once he began walking up the steps leading towards her.

"Hey Gin," he replied. Neither of them said anything as he made his way up the stairs and wrapped his arms around her waist tightly pulling her body to his. He sighed almost in relief as they stood there in blissful silence for a few minutes. He finally pulled away slowly and looked down at her. "Thanks, I think I needed that."

"I'm just glad it was me who opened the door and not one of the other employees. They would have been in for quiet a shock," Ginny joked before kissing him on the cheek. "Are you going to come in or do you want to stand out here all night?"

"Let's go in," he said laughing in spite of himself. No matter what kind of mood he was in, she always seemed to cheer him up. He couldn't believe how stupid he was to walk away from her. He knew he had a lot of making up to do.

They entered the house into a cozy and welcoming front room with many chairs and toys littering the floor ready to fill some child's life with much needed happiness.

"This is amazing, Gin," he said in awe as he looked around.

Ginny beamed back at him. "Thanks," she said leading him down the hallway. "It did turn out to be everything I wanted it to be and more. I'm staying upstairs for now until I can find somewhere in town. There are three nannies living here at the moment but I'm looking for some more so that I don't have to stay here once the kids get here. Unfortunately, my job is more about keeping this place running and less about the kids. I need to find some more funding."

She lead him through the large kitchen and into the dinning room which had a large table where everyone who lived there could eat meals together almost like a family. After that they went into a parlor which had several sofas and a roaring fireplace reminding him of the Gryffindor common room. She sat him down in the sofa closest to fire.

"Is something wrong?" She asked when Harry didn't say anything after a few minutes. Harry took a breath and let it out slowly. Closing his eyes and trying to find a way to tell her what was on his mind. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said before he had the chance to comment.

Harry shook his head and took her hand firmly in his. "No, this is what being in a relationship is all about. Telling each other what's going on. I just…oh I don't know. Things just haven't been going as well as I thought they would. Lily had that incident on the train. Jack's worried to death about her. She just isn't getting any better and I don't know what to do. I need to find out how Malfoy is controlling her like this."

Ginny squeezed his hand and used her other hand to lovingly move some of his hair out of his eyes. "You can't expect things to get better overnight. Lily's going to have a rough road ahead of her."

"I know….I just don't like seeing her suffer like this. I wish I could do more," he stated distantly.

"There's something else isn't there. Did something happen today?" Ginny asked perceptively.

Harry had to chuckle at her insight before he grew serious again. "Today after class was over, Andy came running into my classroom saying that Lily was in the hospital wing. Apparently she took a trip down to the graves this afternoon. She was pretty upset."

"Oh no," Ginny said quietly. "Is she alright?"

Harry shook his head no. "She and Jack had a discussion down there before she passed out. She told him that she blames herself for all the pain everyone is going through. She thinks he should be out having fun with his friends and on taking care of her."

Ginny nodded her head knowingly. "I see," she said softly.

"Yeah, like father like daughter it seems," he said uncomfortably.

"Did you talk to her?" Ginny asked.

He nodded. "I was there when se woke up in the hospital. I told her she needed to keep the people she loves close to her. I think she finally got it in the end. Gin, you should have seen Jack outside when I came running up. He was so upset."

"I'm sure he was."

Harry had arrived at the topic he had come here to talk to her about and turned to face her. "It just makes me remember how stupid I was. Seeing Jack like that, it's like seeing the other side of everything I've done. I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I wish I had done a lot of things differently. That's what I told her today in the hospital wing."

She smiled warmly at him and took his face in her hands. "Harry, we can't go back in time and write the wrongs. All we can do is try to help Jack and Lily through this by telling them about _both_ of our mistakes so they don't fall down the same misguided path."

Harry took her hands in his and looked at her seriously as if trying to read her mind. "Why do you keep saying we both made mistakes? I'm the one who left. You asked me to stay but I left anyway."

"You may have left, but I didn't exactly go after you either. I could have. But I was hurt and my ego was wounded. I let that get in the way of my feelings for you. I should have gone to America and made you see that you belonged at home with us with my family, and with me. But I didn't. Instead I stayed away and let you think that you were right in separating yourself from me."

"I'm still sorry," he said looking down.

"I'm sorry too," she said kissing his forehead forcing him to look up at her. "Jack and Lily will be fine if they know they've got a support system. I'll be there to help them, and you."

Suddenly he knew he was able to say the one thing he'd wanted to say since he first saw her. He pulled her to his chest and whispered in her ear, "I love you."

"I love you too," she said bringing her arms up around his neck and putting their problems aside for a few minutes at least.

The following Monday was the true beginning of the term for Lily and Jack. This was the week they started working at the ministry again, and it was also the week that Lily would start her job at the hospital. They left the castle long before any of the other students rolled over in their beds.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Jack asked as he took Lily's hand and led her out the hallway to their dorm room. They were both dressed in their black traditional auror robes and carried duffle bags over their shoulders.

"Yes," she replied smiling up at him trying her hardest to reassure them both. In the last few days since the incident out by the graves, Lily had been more open about her feelings and had begun to allow people to take care of her.

They walked through the halls and out the front doors into the misty morning. Layers of fog hung over the grass on the vast and beautiful grounds of Hogwarts. They walked to the gates and were about to apparate when she suddenly turned around and stared at the gravesite.

"You said they bewitched some girl's body to look like me," she stated, her voice foreign to her own ears as well as Jacks.

"Yeah," Jack replied flatly.

"I want someone to take up the body and find out who she is. Send her back to her family. Whoever she is, she deserves to lie in her own grave."

"We'll do whatever you want," he said as a gentile breeze blew several strands of her hair into her face. He gently brushed the hair aside and she turned to look at him again.

"That's what I want," she said nodding her head.

"Then that's what we'll do. We'll talk to someone at the ministry about it today," he said lovingly.

"Okay. Than I guess we'd better go," she said taking a deep breath.

"Yep, they'll be waiting."

Her voice was somewhat resentful this time. "They always are," she said dropping her gaze and taking her hand as they apparated to their destination.

a/n- well, there it is. Please tell me what you think! As for the future of this story, I have big plans. There may even be another story beyond this one. But please understand that I have a live outside of the story and updates will be slow at times. Thanks for all the reviews I've received so far! They keep me going!


	4. Chapter Four: Celebration

a/n- Okay guys, here is the next chapter. I know its somewhat shorter than your used to, but this is a transition and some much needed character development. Hope you like it!

Chapter Four: Celebration

Before anyone knew what was happening October was nearly over. School was in full swing leaving Harry very little time to spend with Ginny now that she was also busy with the kids. They did all they could to get together for an a hour or two every night after dinner and they spent every Saturday night out on the town together.

Lily and Jack had been back to work for a while and things had seemed to quiet down for the moment at least. Jack was now thinking of what he was going to do for Lily's seventeenth birthday which would take place on the 22nd of the month. In the wee hours of one morning his questions were answered when someone woke him up by poking his shoulder.

"Mr. Weasley," the voice responsible for the poking said timidly.

He looked down and saw Lily still was asleep on his chest. He then turned his head to face the intruder. It was a house elf he had never seen before. "What is it?" he asked grumpily.

"Professor Potter would like to see you, Sir," the elf said in a very stately tone of voice. This house elf seemed educated and didn't talk like any house elf he had ever heard before, a fact which would please his mother tremendously.

"He doesn't want to see Lily too?" Jack asked clearly sounding confused.

"No Sir, he said he only wants to see you."

"Well I can't get up without waking her and then she'll want to know where I'm going," he said knowing it was the truth.

"I have already taken care of that, Sir. I put a deep sleep charm on her so that she will not wake. The professor made it very clear that he did not want his daughter to know you had come to see him."

"You put a spell on my girlfriend?" Jack said horrified. Lily will be furious if she ever found out about this.

"Nothing that will hurt her, Sir. I will stay with her until you return and then lift the spell," the elf said defensively, "But you had better get going. Mr. Potter is waiting."

Jack got out of bed and covered Lily up with an extra blanket before putting on a shirt and a robe over his boxers. He wondered in the back on his mind how Harry knew that he and Lily were sleeping in the same bed. As much as he liked Harry he wasn't exactly ready for him to know that he was sleeping with his daughter. His mind dwelt on these thoughts as he made his way to Harry's quarters. It was nearly two in the morning and the castle was deserted. Tomorrow was a Saturday and the students would most likely sleep in late the following day. Lily however would need to get up in a few hours to be at the hospital on time.

He approached Harry's room and found the door already ajar for him. He took a step inside and found Harry sitting by the fire. "What's up Harry?" he asked taking a seat in the chair across from him.

"Is Lily asleep?" he asked cheerfully.

"Yeah," Jack replied blushing.

"I brought you over here to talk about her birthday coming up. I want to do something special since it's the first time I've actually been able to spend her birthday with her. I'm going to need your help."

Jack signed in relief that Harry let the subject of his sleeping arrangements drop. "Sure, what have you got in mind?"

"I want to throw her a surprise party next Saturday."

"That sounds like a good start," he said contemplatively, "Where do you want to have it?"

"I was hoping you'd have an idea about that," Harry said sitting back in his chair and putting his feet up on the coffee table in front of him.

Jack thought for a moment and then realized where the perfect place would be, "The Gryffindor common room! She's always saying how much she misses it and that's where most of our friends are!"

"That could work. I haven't been there in ages!"

The two of them sat up until five talking about plans for the party. Jack only left at five because it was time for Lily to get up and get ready to go to the hospital. He didn't want her to be late. He made his way back across the castle to his room and told the elf to lift the spell.

The week went by with no mention of Lily's upcoming birthday on Saturday. Jack had told everyone to pretend that they had forgotten about it all together. He knew she would be mad initially but it would be a better surprise in the end.

Lily woke Jack up on Saturday morning just before she left for the hospital. She was already wearing her white healer robes and ready to walk out the door. "Jack, are you awake," she asked placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I am now," he said sounding groggy, turning over, and pulling her back into bed playfully.

"Hey. I have to get going," she said struggling a little bit but was unable to free herself from his tight grasp. She gave up and rested her head on his chest. "A friend of mine asked me to work half her shift tonight," there was something in her voice this time that suggested she wanted him to tell her not to stay at the hospital later.

"Sure, that sounds fine. What time will you be back then?" he asked trying not to smile. She was going to be so surprised tonight when she comes home to find that no one had forgotten what day it was.

"Late," she said simply getting up and grabbing her purse, "I'll see you later." She paused at the door momentarily, and when Jack didn't say anything in response to her farewell, she closed the door behind her.

He felt bad because he knew she was sad that he did not wish her a good day at work or a happy birthday. He put those thoughts out of his head however and got up to get ready for the day.

Lily returned to the castle at around seven that night. She was completely exhausted that she walked right into the chest of someone as she turned the corner heading to her dormitory.

"Oh sorry," she said not ever glancing up to see who it was.

"You look pissed off," a male voice said. She looked up to find it was her friend Brad.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired is all. It's been a long day. Are you coming from my dorm? Was Jack there?"

"No he wasn't. He sent me to come get you," Brad said taking her arm and leading her back down the corridor.

"Look Brad, I'm really not in the mood for this. I just want to take a shower and go to bed," she said annoyed as he dragged her toward the Gryffindor common room.

"Oh come on don't be so grumpy. This'll be fun!"

They walked up the stairs and came to the Fat Lady's picture frame. Brad looked at Lily dumbfounded after the Fat Lady asked for the password.

"Well, don't look at me! I don't live here anymore," she said aggravated that he was making such a fuss.

"Come on, Potter! It's the Head Girl's job to know the password for all the houses! I know you know it," he said nudging her shoulder.

"Yeah, well I'm a lousy Head Girl then," she said crossing her arms across her chest and looking the other way.

"Just say it Potter because I really have forgotten it," he said through fits of laughter. She really had no idea what he was laughing about. All of her cheeky comments had been accompanied by cold stares.

"Flying Pixies," she said under her breath, "You never were good with the password, Garland."

Once the door opened it revealed a completely black common room. If Lily had never been in here before she may have thought they'd stumbled into a broom cupboard. There was not a single candle lit, and none of the fireplaces were lit either. She felt Brad let go of her arm as the room suddenly came to life with light and noise, "SURPRISE!" dozens of people yelled. The room was packed full of Gryffindors and teachers.

Lily stood there in amazement for several second and let the setting sit in. Jack and his entire immediate family were there, along with her father, Ginny, and all their friends. All the other teachers were there as well.

"I can't believe this," she mumbled to herself as everyone began making their way towards the birthday girl.

"Believe it, Potter," Jack said coming up behind her and giving her a large hug. She hugged him back and then hit him in the chest lightly.

"I thought you forgot!"

"Now, do you really think I'd forget your birthday," he said looking down at her seriously. "Besides it was your father's idea so you can blame him for any hard feelings!"

Lily turned and found her father standing with his arm around Ginny's waist beaming with happiness. She threw herself in his arms and gave him the largest hug he had ever received. "Thank you so much!"

"Happy Birthday sweetheart," he said to the top of her head as they embraced.

"Thanks Dad!"

"Happy birthday, Lily," Ginny said warmly when Harry released his daughter from his grasp.

"Thanks Ginny," Lily replied moving over to her and giving her an unexpected hug. Ginny seemed somewhat unsure but when she looked over at Harry she saw that he looked like he'd never seen a happier sight in his life. He smiled and nodded as Lily and Ginny ended their hug and began talking as if they were two old friends.

The party went on for hours and the group made quite a racket keeping the entire castle awake, and still no one made any moves to go to bed. Lily noticed that her father was no longer in the room at about a quarter to midnight. She walked over to Ron and Hermione who were standing next to the fireplace talking to Professor Longbottom.

"Did any of you see where my dad went?"

"He went out to the Qudditch pitch. He wanted you to join him. He wants to give you his present," Aunt Hermione told her.

"Okay, will you tell Jack where I've gone?"

"Sure," Uncle Ron said warmly.

She walked quickly through the castle not wanting to draw any attention to herself from Mr. Filch. She was Head Girl and didn't need a reason to be out of bed, but she did all she could to avoid him and his good for nothing animal.

The air outside held the sense of impeding winter. She pulled her thin white robes tighter around her shoulders and walked faster. She found Harry standing in the middle of the pitch staring up at the sky.

"You wanted to see me," she said causing him to turn around and face her.

"Yes I did," he said walking towards her and reaching into his pocket. "I wanted to give you your present away from everyone else." He handed her a long thin box.

"You really didn't have to do this," she said modestly.

"Of course I did. But this gift is really from your mother though. I'll give you mine in a moment," he said with a tinkle in his eye.

"From Mom?" she questioned looking at him strangely.

"It's something she used to wear all the time. It's been passed down between the women in her family for generations," he explained motioning for her to open it and see for herself.

She opened the box and peered inside to find a silver bracelet. The bracelet contained twelve different stones and gems encircling it. "It's beautiful," she said almost in tears. This was the first thing she had ever touched that had once belonged to her mother.

Harry stepped forward and helped her put in on her right wrist. "It will grow warm if you're in the arms of someone who loves you. It has ancient magic in the stones that also allow you to always know where your true love is or if he's in danger. Your mother never went a day without wearing it. I thought it was time it went to you."

"Thank you," she said in a cracking voice.

"Now for my gift," he said turning around and picking up a cage that she had not noticed before. "I thought it was about time you had one of these."

She heard a hoot come from the cage bars and looked inside to find a snowy owl that must looked like it was barely old enough to fly. Harry opened up the cage and the owl flew over her and landed on her shoulder. She stroked its feathers affectionately.

"I got one that looked just like this when I turned eleven. Only mine was a female," Harry said smiling at the baby owl.

"It's a boy?" she asked not taking her eyes off the owl.

"Yeah, you'll have to give him a new name. I've been calling him Flash because he can fly faster than any snowy owl I've ever seen. But you should give it a name you like."

"No, I like the name Flash. It has a lot of character. Thank you so much…for everything," she said as she walked forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't mention it, kid," he said before glancing down at his watch. "Oh, I guess I'd better be sending you to Jack. When I left he asked me to tell you to meet him in your room after I was done. He wanted to give you your present from him in private as well. I'll say goodnight here since you most likely won't be returning to the party." He gave her a hug slightly hindered by the owl on her shoulder that now refused to move.

"Thanks again, Dad. I love the owl and I really have been needing to get one. Just think, now I can send you mail all the time when I'm away!"

"Well, you better not be planning on staying away for long," Harry joked as they walked back to the castle with the owl and its empty cage. He let Lily walk down the hallway leading to her room by herself but watched that she got safely inside the door.

Lily opened the door to her room and set the cage down on the table to right of the doorway. Flash left her shoulder and perched on top of the cage taking in its surroundings. "Jack," she called looking around the empty living room.

"In here," his voice called from his bedroom.

She walked across the room and entered the bedroom to find him sitting on the bed with four balls of fur crawling all over him. It took her few seconds to realize they were kittens. He looked up at her with a wide grin on his face.

She laughed and put her hands on her hips. "Where on earth did you get four kittens?"

"My mum found them in the cabinet of her classroom. She thinks their mother abandoned them. I told her we would look after them," he said scratching the ear of the black cat. "Hey, this one looks like you! She even has green eyes."

Lily walked over to the bed and sat down next to him picking up the cat he was referring to. "Oh it does!" She scratched the cats back and it purred and settled down in her lap. "That one looks like you," she said pointing to another cat with brown fur and strange crystal blue eyes, just like Jack's.

One of the other cats was ginger in color with black eyes, and the other had black and white spots with black eyes as well. "Oh, I wanted to give you something," Jack said jumping up from the bed and walking over to the dresser. He grabbed something and walked back towards the bed to find Lily sitting on the edge of it while the kittens curled up to sleep on the other side.

"You know the party was enough. You didn't have to do this too," she stated before opening the small rectangular box.

"Just open it, Potter," he said sarcastically as he took a seat beside her.

She did as she was told and looking inside the box to find a medium sized silver locket on a silver chain. In the middle of locket was a green stone that rivaled the green sparks in her eyes. She opened the locket up and saw a picture of the two of them with wide grins on their faces taken during their first year of school. She remembered the day the picture was taken as if it were yesterday. They had just played their first Gryffindor Qudditch match. Jack had his arm around her and their temples were touching.

"Jack-" she began to say but couldn't complete the thought. She took a few moments before trying again. "It's gorgeous. Thank you so much!"

"Turn it over," he told her. When she turned over the locket he pointed to an inscription on the back. The words read 'I loved you then and I'll love you forever.'

Lily put the necklace on and then slide off to her feet to stand in between his legs which hung off the side of the bed. She kissed him passionately as he hands roomed over her back pulling her closer. When she pulled away he looked rather breathless.

"I couldn't love anything more," she said. "Thank you for today. It was the best birthday I've ever had!"

"I sure had you mad this morning. I could tell you were about to slug me one," he said as his hands rested very low on her hips.

"I would have killed you if you hadn't remembered at all!"

"Did you like what your dad gave you? The owl and the bracelet," he asked looking at the bracelet around her wrist.

She suddenly remembered the bracelet and placed a finger on one of the stones to find it warm. "I love them! I've always wanted an owl and I've never had anything that belonged to my mother before."

"I'm glad you like them and I'm glad you had a good day. It was nice to have a little break every once in a while. Work has been getting kind of intense," he said leaning forward to nuzzle her neck. He felt her skin shiver beneath him and he held her closer kissing the nap of her neck hungrily.

"I know…but you really can't do that and talk about work," she said running her hands through his hair. He answered her comment by picking her up and placing his body over hers on his bed.

"I love you," he said looking down at her.

"I know, but it's always nice to hear," she answered cupping his face with her hands bringing it down to meet hers once more.

a/n- Now its your turn, tell me what you think! Remember, more feedback could mean faster updates.


	5. Chapter Five: Meant to Be

a/n- Okay, here is the next chapter. I think a lot of people have been waiting for this chapter! Enjoy!

a/n- update I can't believe I made this mistake! My first reviewer for this chapter reminded me that a quote later in this chapter is not original! I totally forgot where I got it from and didn't put in a disclaimer! The quote is from an episode of Dawson's Creek. I know its kind of a dumb teen drama, but it was a female bonding thing in my family! My mom and sister and I used to watch every episode. I thought it fit the story. I wrote this chapter a while ago and totally forgot about it. I'll put a formal disclaimer at the end after you're done reading so I don't give it away!

Chapter Five: Meant to Be

With school now in high gear there was very little time for fun or relaxation. Jack and Lily were busier than ever at the ministry and with their head duties. Not to mention that Qudditch had once again started up. Harry still loved teaching more than anything he had ever done his whole life. His students were both challenging and amazing. The only thing that would have made things better would have been if he had more opportunities to spend time with Lily or Ginny for that matter. She had spent two weeks presenting evidence to the ministry about the orphanage, hoping they would provide more funding in the years to come. She had been so busy in fact that she hadn't been able to look for a house in Hogsmade yet. Harry was in the process of making some decisions that would hopefully solve that problem however.

Lily spent both Saturday and Sunday mornings at St. Mungos working as a healer and gaining more experience. She spent her week with Jack at the auror department doing whatever it was auror's did now-a-days. Whatever that was Harry wasn't exactly sure. He, Ron, and Hermione were all researching and trying to figure out what Malfoy was doing that allowed him to control her so much. So far there was no luck

Since Jack and Lily were obviously not in any of his classes and they left for the ministry before dawn, the only time he got to see them was at dinner time on a rare occasion if they got back early.

With everyone so caught up in their own business the Christmas holidays seem to creep up on them. They were going back to Ron and Hermione's house to celebrate the season together. Ginny was even taking time out to join them at the insistence of both Harry and Hermione.

About a week before they were going to leave, Harry was in his quarters reading some essays his third year students had written. It was a sunny but chilly early Sunday afternoon and he was just thinking of going to visit Ron and Hermione when there was a knock at the door.

"It's open," Harry called from his desk.

The door opened to reveal a nervous looking Jack Weasley who let himself in and closed the door behind him. "Hi Harry, how's it going?"

Harry put down the essay he was reading and leaned back in his chair casually. "Fine, everything's going great. What can I do for you, Jack?"

Jack took a seat in a chair in front of the desk and took a deep breath. "Well, there is something that I need to ask you."

"Ask away," he replied standing up and coming around the desk to sit on the edge of it closer to Jack.

"Ok well…where should I start?" he asked himself. He took another deep breath and said what he came to say, "I want to ask your daughter to marry me." Harry stayed where he was and blinked several times. He sure had not seen this one coming. Jack took his silence as a bad sign and began to ramble on. "I told you once that she and I had talked about getting married the summer after we graduated. Well, that would be this summer. I love her more than anything on the face of this earth and I promise you that I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make her even half as happy as she makes me-"

Harry smiled and cleared his throat, "You just caught me a little bit off guard there Jack! I knew marriage was something you two had talked about, but I never expected you to come to me and ask my permission."

"I wanted to do it right," Jack said sincerely, "I am aware of the fact that we are both young and you're probably thinking we should wait, and under other circumstances I would. But because of the world we live in…I just don't see how we can wait any longer than we already have. I already lost her once and it nearly killed me. I realize now looking back on those days that something inside me died the night we found out she had been killed, and that part of me didn't come back to life until we found her alive in Malfoy's hellish prison."

"I've told you before; there's no one I would rather see my daughter end up with than you. I've seen how you are with her. You treat her with respect and as her father I thank you for that. But don't forget I am also your godfather, and I care very much about your happiness as well as hers. I'm sure the two of you will be very happy together. You have my blessing," Harry said holding out his hand to shake Jack's.

"Thank you Harry," Jack said beaming as he stood up to take Harry's hand.

"When do you plan on asking her," he wondered as they both returned to their seats.

"I was thinking of asking her on Christmas morning," Jack said looking nervous once more.

"Look Jack, I see the way Lily looks at you. She absolutely adores you and couldn't love you more. You're a great guy and to tell you the truth she'd be a fool if she turned you down." Harry stared at Jack for a moment in amazement, and then went on, "One of the weirdest things about coming back to a life you left is how much the ones you love have changed in your absence. You were just a baby the last time I saw you before I went into hiding, and now look at you!"

"I've seen pictures of you holding me at my christening," Jack said as they moved into the living room to sit.

"Yeah that was the last time I was home before everything went to hell. Your dad got in touch with me in the states and told me Hermione had given birth to a baby boy. I got here as soon as I could. They were so happy to be parents and they loved you so much from the moment they saw you. I've never seen them happier," he said contemplatively.

"My dad never let me forget who my godfather was. He told me all sorts of stories about you and the kind of person you were. When Lily came to Hogwarts he told us both stories of the three of you in school. She always loved hearing about you."

Harry laughed at the thought of all the things Ron must have told them. He remembered to ask the question he had been wondering since his return, but kept forgetting to ask. "Who are your brother's godparents?"

"You're their godfather and Aunt Ginny is their godmother. Just like me," Jack said smiling strangely.

"But I was dead…didn't people think that was unusual?"

"Yes they did, but Mum and Dad didn't really seem to care. They said you were their best friend and it was your right. Though they knew you were alive so that made a little bit of a difference."

"They told you about that?" Harry asked shocked.

"Not until you came back. I understand why you had to do what you did. Lily knows too, and she understands as well," he said earnestly.

"Hmm," Harry said reflectively, "So tell me Jack, when did you first fall in love with my daughter," Harry asked grinning.

"To tell you the truth I really can't remember a time since I've known her that I haven't loved her. We were so close as friends, and when I realized I had deeper feelings for her I was afraid to ruin our friendship. I would say it was Lily that made the first move. She's always been good at seeing what's inside my head!"

"Hmmm, yes I've heard about that," Harry said sarcastically.

The Christmas holidays were just about as normal as to be expected. Somehow everyone in the Weasley family found out that Jack was going to ask Lily to marry him on Christmas morning. But fortunately when Christmas Eve finally rolled around Lily still didn't have a clue.

It was after twelve o'clock and Harry, Ginny, Jack, and Lily were all sitting up talking about random things long after all the other children had gone to bed. Ron and Hermione went up to bed at around eleven and Jack and Harry were on the current topic of the last Gryffindor Qudditch match, which they had won of course.

"It really was a great match," Harry said laughing.

"No it really wasn't! We played terrible! The guys were so tired looking. It's a miracle we managed to win the match in the end. We have higher hopes for a more dignified victory against Slytherin when we play them after the holidays."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Ginny assured as she rested her head on Harry's shoulder and yawned widely.

Harry nodded his head and glance over at Lily who had her head resting in the crock of Jack's neck. Her arm was around his waist and he didn't recall hearing her say a word in the last few minutes. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically and her eyes were closed, causing a contented look to grace her face. She looked happy, comfortable, and completely safe in Jack's arms.

Jack noticed what Harry was staring at and looked down at her as well. She was sleeping. "She can sleep through anything if she's tired enough," Jack said brushing a long black curl out of her face lovingly.

"How's she been doing lately," Harry asked, "I don't get to see you guys as much as I would like when schools in session."

"She still has nightmares on occasion, but they're never as bad as they used to be. I know she's exhausted half the time because of all the stuff we've got going on. She only has attaches during training really, and when she has them they're mild. To tell you the truth something really funny happened recently. We planned on going to Hogsmade a few weekends ago with everyone else, but we got back from the ministry so late the night before we didn't even make it up into bed really. We passed out in our common room! We slept through the entire Hogsmade trip and didn't wake up until Brad came to see if we were going to skip dinner as well! I really hope things settle down soon," he wished.

Ginny nodded her head in agreement. "I know what you mean. If anyone deserves some peace it's you two."

"Lily is determined to make things settle down if they don't naturally. She wants nothing more than a normal life," he said smiling to himself.

"Speaking of settling down...I guess you'd better get going to bed. You're going to need to be wide wake in the morning," Harry said standing up, "Are you just going to let her sleep down here?"

"No, I'll carry her up to my room. I'll see you tomorrow Harry. Goodnight Aunt Gin," he said gathering Lily up in his arms and walking toward the stairs.

"Goodnight," they both said as they watching Jack carry Lily away.

With the teenagers were out of sight, Harry turned and looked down at Ginny's head of red hair which still rested on his shoulder.

"Hey, you still with me?" He asked teasingly.

Her head snapped up towards him and tried to wake back up again. "Yeah, I'm awake."

"Are you up to taking a little trip with me?" He asked calmly brushing the hair off her forehead.

"Where are we going?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," he said kissing her on the tip of the nose and pulling them both into a standing position. He stepped back from her and held out his hand. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," she said uncertainly.

"Then take my hand. I have a surprise for you," he told her. She shook her head and smiled at his secrecy, but took his hand in the end. "Close your eyes," he instructed. She did as she was told and soon felt them being apparated to another location. It wasn't long before she felt the floor under her feet once more. She kept her eyes closed even when she felt Harry let go of her hand and leave her side.

"Just hold on one second, love. I need to light a candle or two," he explained as he fumbled around for a few minutes. Soon he rejoined her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back to his chest. She could tell they were inside some building because it was warm, but other than that she had no idea where they were.

"Okay Gin, open your eyes," he whispered in her ear.

The sight which met her eyes was that of a completely furnished family room glowing in the light of a raging fire. She looked back at him puzzled before stepping out of his grasp to look around. There were pictures on the mantle place. One of Ron, Harry, and Hermione at Bill's wedding long ago. It was taken the day before they left to go fight Voldemort. Next is a picture of Harry and herself taken just a few weeks ago. They were sitting at the dinning room table at the orphanage having dinner with the kids. There was also a picture of Lily and Jack taken after the most recent Qudditch match.

"Harry, where are we?" She finally managed to ask when she turned to face him.

"In Hogsmade," he explained vaguely with a knowing smile on his face.

"Who lives here?" She asked more specifically.

"I bought the house a few weeks ago. Ron and Hermione have been helping me fix it up. Come on, let me show you around."

Harry took her on a grand tour of the house which had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, formal dinning room, and a very spacious backyard among other things. It was when they reached the final bedroom at the end of the hall on the second floor that Harry appeared to have a glint in his eye.

"And _this_ is the master bedroom," he said opening the door for her to see the large room filled with oak furniture and a welcoming fireplace. The bed was huge and adorned with a blood red comforter. There was a door on the right leading to the master bathroom and a door on the left leading to the walk-in closet.

"Harry, this is amazing," she said as she walked around the room looking at all the little details. She walked over to the bed to examine the comforter when she noticed a small black box sitting atop one of the pillows. "What is this?"

Harry cleared his throat and walked over to her. Taking the box into his right hand and taking her hand in his left. "Gin, I wanted to do this hear away from everyone else because I don't want to push you into anything you're not ready for."

"What's going on?" Ginny asked nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and blushing.

"You do that when you're nervous," Harry pointed out. "I love that I can still make you nervous. I also love that I know you do that when you're nervous."

Ginny's face only turned a brighter shade of red and she seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Harry took this to his advantage and composed himself before he went on. "I love you, so much. I don't know what I ever did without you in my life, but now that I have you back I never want to let you go. You know me better than I know myself. I've come to realize that I'm nothing without you." He opened the box to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring set in silver. "So this is what I'm offering you. A life here with me…forever. I know it's not enough. You deserve better, but this is all I can give you and I'll just have to hope that my love will be enough. I am also aware that this might be too soon for you, and I understand that. If you can't answer me now, then the offer will still be on the table for as long as you need to make up your mind, okay?"

Ginny swallowed the lump which had unexpectedly appeared in her throat. "Yes," she somehow managed to saw, thought the voice it was said in sounded strangely alien to her.

He took another deep cleansing break and took the plunge. "I'm asking you to be my wife. Ginny, will you marry me?"

Ginny's eyes had long since glazed over with joyful tears as she listened to Harry's proposal. She honestly couldn't believe what she was hearing. When he concluded she took his face in her hands and kissed him properly on the mouth. She could feel him smile against her lips as he wrapped his arms around the small of her back and pulled her closer to him. "Yes, I would like nothing better," she said when she pulled away. "You've always been enough for me, Harry. I could never ask for anything better. You make me so happy!"

After removing the ring from its box, and placing it where it would remain forever, on Ginny's finger, Harry picked her up and spun her around several times before steering them over to the bed and gently lowering her body onto the soft surface.

"Did you come up with all this on your own?" She wondered as she gazed up at him.

Harry chuckled. "Yes, actually. The house and everything was all my idea. Ron and Hermione just helped me fix it up in time for Christmas. I wanted to ask you here because I know Jack will be proposing to Lily tomorrow morning and I wanted this to be separate. I wanted it to be special."

"It was. I love you."

"I love you too. Can I marry you tomorrow?" Harry asked pulling her into a hug and borrowing his face into her hair. Her laughter shock her shoulders.

"I think my parents might have something to say about that," Ginny let him down gently. "But I would rather us do it sooner than later," she admitted meaningfully.

"Really?" Harry asked, hope gleaming in his eyes.

"I think we've waited long enough don't you?" She said cupping the side of his face as he looked down at her with nothing but love in her eyes.

"Let me work on it," Harry told her with thoughts in his mind.

"I like the sound of that. Don't leave me waiting, love."

"Never," he assured her before walking over to the door to the master suite and shutting it quietly.

That night, Harry and Ginny spent the first of many Christmas eves in the house they now shared together. After years of separation, they had found each other again and both of them felt they'd already wasted enough time. They were ready to start their lives together right here and now.

Meanwhile, Jack didn't get to far up the stairs after leaving his godfather and aunt to their devices before Lily began to wake up. "Jack…where are we going?" she mumbled against his chest. She didn't raise her head up to look at him; in fact she kept her eyes closed.

They reached the top of the stairs and entered his room. He closed the door as softly as he could with her in his arms. "I'm taking you to bed with me, Potter. And there's nothing you can do about it."

"Oh is that so," she said looking up at him through sleepy eyes.

He set her down on the bed and walked over to his dresser to take off his shirt and jeans. He found a different shirt to sleep in and was about to put in on when he felt arms encircle his body from behind. He turned around to face her and wrapped his arms around her waist as well. She definitely seemed more awake now and not quite ready to go back to sleep.

She smiled up at him and spoke in nearly a whisper. "It feels nice to have some time to relax for once. I know we've been together pretty much every minute of the year so far, but it's not the same as when we're here. I've missed you."

"I missed you too," he said leaning down and kissing her affectionately. His lips left her mouth and traveled from her jawbone to her neck and then to her collarbone. She was wearing a navy tank top and he moved the strap off her shoulder with his left hand. He continued to kiss her even after she giggled when his lips found the most ticklish part of her neck just below her ear. He pulled her body even closer to his in response to her laughter. He loved to make her laugh.

"I've missed this too," she said in a very low voice.

"It's been a while," he replied pulling away and cupping the side of her face with one of his hands, the other hand on the small of her back. "Are you still tired?" he asked as he began to walk them towards the bed.

"No, I'm not tired at all." She smiled seductively up at him and pulled her arms around his neck pulling him to her once more.

"I thought I explained to you what that look does to me," he said when he pulled away from their long kiss.

"Why do you think I keep doing it? I know it drives you crazy," she answered running the tips of her finger nails in tiny circles at the base of his neck.

"Hmm," he said as he gripped the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head. He then reached down and undid the tie to her sweatpants. They fell to the floor in a heap.

"You know, you're incredibly sexy when you wear those," he said running his index finger along the waist band of boxers she was wearing. She often wore them for extra warmth in the winter time when she was just lazing around the house, or sleeping. With the exception of her bra, boxers was the only thing either both had on.

He kissed her deeply on the lips this time as his hands ran across her back lightly. When he pulled away from her she looked rather lightheaded. Jack moved them down onto the bed and kissed her bare shoulders lightly. He pulled back and took a moment to take in her appearance as she lay there beneath him. He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand and sighed in an almost cleansing manner.

She took notice of his pause. "What…what is that face for?"

"Nothing," he answered still looking down at her in wonder.

"Come on Jack tell me," she pleaded. When he didn't answer this time however she flipped them both over so she was straddling him on his waist and holding his hands above his head. "I guess you're going to have to tell me now," she said with a smirk.

They both laughed allowing him to wiggled his left hand away from her grasp and pulled her face down to meet his, meeting her lips with new found passion. She loosened her grip on his right hand after a few minutes and a soon let go of it all together. He moved her off of his body and covered her body with his once more.

Christmas morning arrived early for the Weasley family. The sun was just beginning to roll over the horizon when Jack heard his little brother Joe call from the door asking them to get up and go downstairs. He heard everyone else pass by their door seconds later and head down the stairs.

Jack opened his eyes and all he could see was the black hair in front of his face. "I think that's our cue to get up."

"I hate getting up early," she groaned not even attempting to raise her head.

"I know, love. But we'd better get down there before they send someone up here and you're still not wearing anything!"

She suddenly sat up and pulled a blanket around her tightly. "I'm not the only one who's indecent, Weasley." She stood up with the blanket pulled around her body under her arms. "I'm going to get dressed and you had better think about doing so as well! I'll meet you downstairs."

She left the room leaving Jack alone to compose himself for what he was about to do. After a few moments of thought he got dressed and went downstairs to find everyone waiting for him and Lily.

"Morning everyone," Jack said when he came into the room.

"Morning," the family chimed. Harry and Ginny were both sitting on the sofa. For some reason, Jack had the feeling they were still wearing the cloths they had been wearing last night. His dad was talking with his younger brothers by the Christmas tree and his mother was in the kitchen making tea and coffee for everyone.

"Where's Lily?" Joe asked.

"She's getting dressed. She promised to be down in a few."

"And she kept her promise," Lily said brightly as she entered the room and kissed her father and aunt and uncle good morning.

The majority of the next hour and a half was spent opening gifts and laughing with each other. Hermione and Ron showered Harry with gifts they had apparently been saving up for years.

"I can't believe you guys did all this," Harry said as he opened his final present holding sweaters knitted by Ron's mother, one for every Christmas he had missed while he was away.

Lily's gift to Jack brought laughter for everyone. It was a pocket watch similar to the clock that hung at his grandparent's house. There was only one hand with her name on it and in the place of the numbers were locations; AT THE MINISTRY, AT THE HOSPITAL, IN BED, SCHOOL, HOME, WITH YOU, SICK, IN DANGER, TRAVELING, etc. Jack loved the gift so much that he kissed her in front of the entire group, causing her to blush profusely.

Jack gave Lily a pale blue jewelry box which held a picture of them hovering on their broomsticks together on the inside lid. After Jack and Lily were done opening their gifts to each other they sat back to watch everyone else for a moment, taking in the memory. Lily leaned back against Jack's shoulder as one of his hand rested on her knee. Little did they know they had an observer.

"Jack, do you love Lily?" Joe asked from the floor eyeing his older brother and smiling devilishly.

Everyone laughed at the naïve little boy's question. Jack put an arm around Lily's shoulders pulling her closer, "Of course I love Lily! Don't you love Lily?"

"Yes, she's the only sister I have," he said looking over at his mother who put a hand over her mouth and fought back tears.

"So you think we should keep her then," Jack said laughing still.

"Always and always," Joe said holding his arms out wide as if to embrace the thought.

"Well, looks like you're stuck with us now Potter," Jack said playfully as he gazed down at her smiling face. It had been a while since she smiled this way. Most of her smiles these days seemed forced or halfhearted. But this was the old Lily, the Lily he had fallen in love with years ago.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she said returning his gaze. They shared a very innocent kiss before returning their attention to Kyle who was now opening his present from his parents.

After several minutes had passed, Jack handed Lily the final gift under the tree, to her from Harry. She opened the gift slowly and was startled slightly when something fell out. It was a photo album.

"And you were making fun of us for all the pictures we take," Hermione said from across the room.

"Well, these are a little different," Harry said studying her face as she opened the album and looked at the first picture. Jack looked at the picture on the first page over her shoulder and he glanced up at Harry and saw the tears in his eyes.

The first picture was of Harry holding a tiny baby in his arms. He was looking down at the infant with nothing but love in his eyes and tears on his cheeks. He wasn't paying any attention to the camera at all. "That was the first time I held you in my arms," Harry said quietly. "You were so tiny."

Lily adoringly turned the page and saw a picture of her father with his arm around a woman holding with a baby in her arms. The woman kissed the baby's head lovingly and then the proud parents turned and gave each other a small kiss. "Mom," she said looking up at her father.

"Yes, she was so happy," Harry said with sadness in his voice. "She never loved anything more than she loved you."

Lily set the album aside and went over to hug him. "Thank you so much," she said in half a whisper.

"I just wanted you to see how happy we were when you were born. I would give anything to go back and change the way things ended up, but unfortunately I can't do that. This is the best I can do," Harry said as he released his daughter and looked down at her tear streaked face.

"I'm hungry," Joe said breaking the silence.

"Well, let me go see what I can do about that," Hermione said walking into the kitchen. The group in the living room began to clean up the mess and put away presents while Hermione prepared breakfast. Jack turned around after a few minutes and noticed Lily wasn't there.

"She went outside for some fresh air," Harry said reading his mind.

"Thanks, I'll be right back," Jack said as he grabbed his coat off the hock and headed out the back door.

He found Lily leaning against an oak tree facing the house. Her black hair provided quite a contrast to the pure white snow. She smiled warmly as he approached her.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

"Just thinking," she said looking at him with a dazed expression on his face. "Jack, can I ask you something?"

"Anything, love," he said leaning against the tree next to her with his hands deep in his pockets to escape the bitterly cold December wind.

"Do you really want to have kids?" she asked looking at him slightly embarrassed.

"Yes, as long as you're their mother! Why do you not want to have kids?"

"Yes, I do want to be a mother, now more than ever after looking at those pictures of my mother holding me. They looked so happy. I guess I never realized how strongly I felt about being a mother until I looked at those pictures," she said looking down at the snow on her shoes. She looked over at him and noticed the way he was staring at her and blushed and looked away.

He seemed nervous all of a sudden and she was about to ask him why when he spoke up first. "You left before I could give you your Christmas gift."

"No, you gave it to me don't you remember-"

"Yes that was part of it," he said cutting her off. "But that wasn't all of it."

"Do you want to go back inside then," she said moving away a few inches.

He took her hand to keep her from moving way from where she stood, "No, I can give it to you out here."

"Okay, well what is it?" she asked anxiously.

"Well, my gift is slightly selfish because I really think I'm getting the better end of the deal," Jack shifted from one foot to another and took several shallow breaths.

"Jack, what is it?" she said laughing.

"I have always told you that I'd ask you a certain question one day," he stated watching her reaction closely. She appeared to be catching on to what was about to happen because her eyes widened and she took several deep breaths to calm herself. "Today is that day. I love you so much that it physically hurts sometimes. When I'm not with you I feel out of place, like I'm not where I belong. I want to spend the rest of my life waking up next to you in the morning and going to sleep with you in my arms every night. You're my everything. Lily Elizabeth Potter…will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Lily's other hand that was not in his tight grasp moved slowly to cover her mouth as a tear escaped through the corner of her eye. He reached in his pocket and retrieved a small black box. He opened it in front of her and she let out a faint gasp. She nodded her head yes unable to speak. Jack could have jumped for joy, and probably would have if she hadn't wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him lovingly.

She pulled away and brushed his cold cheek with the back of her equally cold hand. "Nothing would make me more happy than spending the rest of my life with you," she said gazing up at him through tears of joy.

He took the three stoned diamond ring out of the box and placed it on her ring finger. Then took her in his arms and kissed her again. He only pulled away when he heard noises in the distance. He looked back toward the house and found his entire family standing at the patio window smiling and clapping for them. Lily followed his gaze and laughed as well at the sight of them.

"Shall we," he said offering her his arm gesturing toward the house.

She nodded and took his arm in hers keeping close to his side as they crossed the snow covered lawn. They entered the house and the clapping grew louder as their family greeted them with hugs and congratulations. The separated from each other to go around and give everyone hugs.

"Was I the only one who didn't know this was going to happen," she said after hugging Andrew.

"Yes," Jack said from across the room next to his mother.

Jack's mum crossed the room and gave Lily a rib crushing hug, "I'm so happy for you two," she said loudly as she pulled away.

"Welcome to the family officially now," Ron said as he hugged his goddaughter and then walked over to ruffle his son's hair. "I guess you guys are all grown up now. It seems like only yesterday you were both in first year. Now you're getting married."

"DAD," Andrew and Kyle said in unison shaking their heads.

"Well it does," Ron said defensively, "And you two will be hard-pressed to find a girl half as great as Lily is!"  
Lily blushed and made her way over to her father. He hugged her tightly and raised her feet off the ground as he embraced her small body causing her to giggle inspite of herself.

"Be happy," he softly commanded as he released her into the waiting arms of her fiancé.

"I will," she said looking up at Jack with nothing but love in her eyes. When Lily looked at Ginny who was standing next to Harry, however, the smile on her face dropped to a look of joyful shock. "DAD!" She screamed suddenly.

Harry couldn't help but jump at her outburst. "What!" He exclaimed looking around to see what had caused her sudden change in tone.

"You proposed to Ginny!" She excitedly accused running over to Ginny and throwing her arms around her.

Harry had been nervous about how he was going to tell his only daughter that he was getting married. He knew she didn't have a problem with them seeing each other, but marriage was a completely different ball game. However, judging by the look of pure elation on her face, she wasn't in the least upset. Harry turned his gaze over to Ron and Hermione, who both knew he was planning on proposing to Ginny last night because they helped him fix up the house in time. They both had the biggest smiles he'd ever seen plastered on their faces.

"Congratulations, Harry," Jack said walking over to him and shaking his hand.

"Thank you, Jack," Harry beamed at him.

"I can't believe you didn't say anything!" Lily said as she moved over to him and gave him a warm embrace.

"Well, we didn't want to overshadow Jack's proposal," Ginny explained.

"Don't even think about it," Jack dismissed as Lily walked back over to him and he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"This is perfect," Lily proclaimed.

Harry looked down at Ginny and pulled her to his side. "You're right, it is perfect."

a/n- There you have it! Please please please review! I didn't get that many for the last chapter which was highly disappointing. The more reviews I get the more motivated I'll be to update!

Disclaimer: The line, "You do that when you're nervous," Harry pointed out. "I love that I can still make you nervous. I also love that I know you do that when you're nervous," is taken from an episode of Dawson's Creek. It belongs to their writers, not to me. And while I'm at it, just thought that I'd remind you all that I am not JK Rowling and Harry Potter and co. do not belong to me, they are members of JK Rowling's world.

Thanks again to the sharp reviewer who pointed that out! Sorry for the mishap!


	6. Chapter Six: Planning and Paining

a/n- Sorry again for the wait guys, but I started posting this story on another site and I wanted to get them caught up. Anyway, unfortunately the updates will continue to be on the slow side. I'm very big on making things as perfect as they can be, which takes time. But in the meantime, please keep the reviews coming! They really do keep me going!

Chapter Six: Planning and Paining

After dinner was served and cleaned up, everyone other than Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Jack, and Lily, headed up upstairs to either go to sleep or to put away their presents. The six of them sat there, drank coffee, and talked.

"Harry and I have decided that we want t get married sooner rather than later," Ginny informed them.

"I'd say you've waited long enough," Ron rationalized.

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "That's what Gin said. I'm going to work it out. I don't want the press to get a hold of this. So I'm going to try and keep it all under wraps. We'll let you know what we decide."

"You'd better," Hermione warned with a stern look.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a meaningful look, each nodding at the other. "We couldn't have a wedding without the maid of honor and best man present now could we?" Harry asked rhetorically. Ron and Hermione caught the implication and smiled in acceptance.

Hermione turned to Jack and Lily who had been silent for the last few minutes. "So do you guys want to talk about a date for the wedding? What kind of wedding do you want to have," she asked eagerly.

Lily and Jack exchanged a look similar to Harry and Ginny's before Jack answered his mother. "We have always said we wanted to get married the summer after graduation. But it seems so far away right now. With everything happening, we are not sure whether waiting is the best way to go."

"So you talked about getting married before you graduate?" Harry asked with a grin. He knew how much they loved each other and to him it didn't matter when they got married. He thought their idea about getting married sooner was a good idea actually. He knew what it feels like to regret a decision to wait on something that was really important.

"We talked about it briefly today. But we wanted to run our ideas by you guys first," Lily stated looking from Harry to her Aunt and Uncle.

"Well, you both are consenting adults. There is nothing we can do to stop you," Ron's voice held the impression that even if they were not consenting adults he still wouldn't have stopped them from getting married early.

"That's true, but we don't want to do anything you don't approve of. It's your blessing we seek, not your permission," Lily said, impressing Harry once more by acting wise beyond her years.

"When where you thinking," Hermione said leaning forward with a gleam in her eyes.

"Easter," Jack spoke up after a long silence with a grin on his face.

"Your father and I got married when we were your age. We were engaged on Easter. Weren't we, dear," Hermione reminded him glancing back at her husband and taking his hand. Ron nodded his head and smiled back at her lovingly.

"We know, but we're going to need your help," Jack stated.

"We'll do all we can to help you," Hermione said looking over at Harry who shook his head in agreement.

"What kind of wedding do you want?" Harry asked.

"Something small with only family and close friends," Lily stated, "We don't want to make to big a deal of it.

"Where do you think you'd like to have the ceremony and the reception?" Ginny said excitedly.

Lily and Jack exchanged puzzled looks and shrugged their shoulders. Lily spoke for the both of them, "We haven't thought about that. I guess it would make sense to have it at Hogwarts because no one will be there during the holidays. What do you guys think?"

"I think that would be a lovely place to have a wedding. Now we need to talk about what kind of wedding dress you want to have. Both of you" Hermione stated leaning even further in her seat and nodding towards Ginny and Lily.

"I think that's our signal to get the heck out of here," Ron said as he stood up and walked toward the kitchen with Harry and Jack following in his wake.

The men entered the kitchen and shut the swinging door behind them. "I didn't think you'd want to hear your mother go on about all that girl stuff, Jack," Ron said walking over to the refrigerator and retrieving three butterbeers. "You know Lily is basically our daughter already, so this is the closest your mother will ever get to being able to do all that stuff mothers and daughters do for weddings. We'd better let her live it up a little! And as for Ginny, she's just as much Hermione's sister as she is mine. We'd better let them have fun."

"She thinks of mum as her mother," Jack said taking the beer from his father and sitting down at the table across from Harry and Ron.

"And Lily thinks of Hermione as a mother too," Harry piped in.

"All the more reason to leave them alone," Ron said laughing. "Trust me…I know all about weddings."

"Do you remember how nervous you were on your wedding day, Ron?" Harry mused chuckling to himself.

Ron also laughed at the memory. "I was a basket case that day. It's a good thing you were there to keep me cool, Harry, or I may have lost it all together. I still can't believe my son is getting married!"

Jack blushed a little bit. "I know I can't believe it. When Lily and I were outside I thought I was going to lose my nerve."

"Harry, did you ever ask Melissa to marry you," Ron asked. Harry had been sitting there for the past few moments staring off into space and clearly not paying any attention to their conversation.

Harry's body was jerked out of its daydream. "Yes I did. I asked her to marry me about three months before we found out she was pregnant with Lily. We were planning on getting married that summer, but then things got a little crazy and it just never seemed to work out. Then before we knew it Lily was born and everything went to hell from there, so we never go the chance."

"I still can't believe you never told me you had met someone until that letter," Ron said shaking his head.

"I wanted to tell you. But it never seemed the right time. You all would have liked her, and she would have loved you. She never met anyone she didn't like," Harry said reflectively.

"Is Lily a lot like her mother?" Jack asked.

"In some ways she is, but I'm afraid she's more like me. Melissa was hotheaded and could have a nasty temper at times. But she was kindhearted as well," Harry said honestly.

"Lily is the exact replica of you, Harry," Ron said laughing. "If you had been born a girl you would have been exactly alike in every way. She has a knack for getting herself into impossible situations and then somehow getting herself out of them always with a smile on her face."

Harry changed the subject, "What are you planning on doing once you're married? Will you buy a house somewhere? Are you both going to stay on with the auror department?" He had heard enough about all of Lily's adventures and frankly they always made him nervous. He didn't like to think of his daughter in those situations.

"Lily doesn't want to work as an auror once we have kids, and frankly neither do I. But to be honest, things are heating up and I'm not seeing a way out of the department in the near future. They're not just going to let us go with out a fight. Even if we give notice, they'll find someway to keep up around. The only exception for Lily would be if she found out she was pregnant, you know they don't let pregnant woman work the field," Jack said nervously. "They don't really like to have mothers out in the field at all, even after they've given birth."

Ron could see that Jack looked uncomfortable in his own skin and he didn't think it was just from talking about impregnating his future wife either. Something else was up. "What is it, Jack? Not another mission," he asked warily.

"Well, I guess you were going to hear about this sooner or later," Jack began uncertainly. "We're training for another mission that will begin next fall."

"Where to this time?" Harry asked.

"Actually we will be joining up with a group of people that are working to protect these children in America. Their parents were killed three years ago by some band of death eaters, and now they want the children dead too. The department has been supplying aurors to protect them in shifts. A new group of aurors is cycled in ever twelve months and the location is changed to cover their tracks. It looks like they're going to be keeping this up until the kids are of age, or we catch the people who are after them. So, unless something happens between now and then that's where we'll be going. Now, this is classified, so I'm not even supposed to be talking to you about this. But I just figured-"

"For a year? How often will you be able to come home," Ron asked, cutting Jack off and looking at Harry with a worried expression.

Jack took a deep breath. "We won't be able to come back until the mission is over."

"So you'll be gone for a full year," Harry repeated.

"With absolutely no contact with anyone, not even the auror department directly," said Jack honestly.

"So you'd be completely on your own?" Harry asked looking at Jack as if he had lost his mind. "How will we know that you're alright?"

"You won't, or at least not until the time when we are supposed to return. You'll know when we don't come back that something happened," Jack said gravely.

"That's crazy Jack! Why would you volunteer for a mission like that?" Ron said looking angry.

"We didn't volunteer. All the aurors have to do their tour of duty, and it'll our turn. I'm sure everything is going to be fine. But that is one of the reasons we wanted to get this wedding thing out of the way before we got too far into the training. They told us if something goes wrong we may be sent out early," Jack paused to take a sip of his butterbeer which he had nearly forgotten about until then. "I'm only telling you this because you both were once aurors and still technically speaking have department clearance. This is top secret information. I'd feel better if you didn't even tell Mum all the details of where we are until we get back. In all honesty, if I can find a way to get Lily out of the department before the time of this mission then I'm going to do it. And to be brutally honest, I don't really care if that means I have to get her pregnant. I'd rather her be a young mother than a dead auror," Jack said looking at Harry with nothing but earnestness in his eyes.

"You're worried about her, aren't you?" Harry asked in response.

Jack took a moment to gather his thoughts before he responded. "Being an auror has changed Lily. It's made her hard and distant. I know Mum and Dad have noticed it too," he looked to his father who nodded his head in agreement. "I want to get her out of there before there is nothing left of the girl I fell in love with."

"What about you?" Harry asked. He was just as worried about Jack as he was about Lily.

"I'm out just as soon as I catch Malfoy," Jack assured him.

The three of them sat in the kitchen looking out the window at the brilliant winter sky for nearly twenty minutes. Ron announced he was going to bed and Harry and Jack decided that they would follow him. They walked up the stairs and saw that Lily, Ginny, Hermione were still sitting in the living room talking. They told the girls they were going to bed and continued on up the stairs.

Jack lie in his bed staring up at the ceiling blankly waiting for Lily to come to bed. She never slept in her own room these days, even when they were at school. Most of her cloths were in Jack's room now as well. At eleven thirty he heard the door creak open and saw Lily walk across the room as quietly as possible across the floor. He let her think he was asleep and watched her open a draw and get out a night shirt and a pair of boxers. She had her back to him as she removed her top and bra to slip the shirt over her head. In the faint light coming through the window drapes he saw the faint white scars on her back and shoulders. Every time he saw them he was reminded of how close he came to losing her. The memories were almost too much to bear.

"Hey," he said as she finished pulling the boxers up over her hips.

"Hey yourself," she said walking over to the edge of the bed and sitting down facing Jack who was still on his back.

"What were you and my mother and Aunt Gin talking about all that time? You couldn't have spent the whole time talking about wedding dresses," he joked with her and took her hand in his.

"No, we just talked about things," she said mysteriously.

He smiled at her sly facial expression and pulled her over his body to the other side of the bed. He turned over to face her propped up by his elbow. "What kind of talk?"

"Your mom was just telling me what it is like to be married to a Weasley," she answered bringing her hand to his forehead and brushing the hair off of it.

"Oh really, and what exactly did she say?"

"That's for me to know. It was all girl stuff you wouldn't understand. What did you guys talk about?"

"I told them about the mission next fall," he said flatly.

"And how did they take it?"

"As well as we thought they would."

"It's going to be so hard to leave everything behind," she said looking up at him with eyes that revealed the fear present in her mind.

"I know," he said holding her a little tighter. "At least this time we'll be together," he said trying to bring up the bright side of the situation. "Your dad asked me if we were going to continue working with the auror department for very much longer."

She searched his eyes trying to discover what he was thinking. "Do you think we should do something else? The hospital has asked me to stay on after the school year is over. What else would you want to do?"

"I don't know really," he said contemplatively. "You've always said that you didn't want to keep this up once we have kids."

"Yes, but that's because I don't want them to grow up without a mother like I did," she admitted.

"You told me it was because you wanted to see them grow up rather than always having to leave them with babysitters while you went to work," he said shocked at her comment.

"Yeah well, I guess my secrets out. I'm scared to death of leaving my children orphans. I don't want them to grow up the way I had to," she looked away from him in shame. It was a stupid thing to think about really, but still she couldn't get the thoughts out of her mind.

Jack looked down at her and realized how afraid she really was. He didn't really know what to say to make her feel any better. "You are going to be such a great mother someday," he finally said cupping the side of her face with his free hand.

She turned back to him with a faint smile on her lips. "Really and just how do you know that?"

"Because I know you. You're great at everything you do," he said lovingly. "I can't believe you're actually mine," he added in a very low voice full of emotion.

"I've always have been yours Jack. I always will be," she said gazing up at him.

"Promise?"

"I promise"

He brought himself down to her and covered her mouth with his. After a few seconds he pulled away laughing. "What is so funny, Weasley?" she asked smiling in that way that drove him crazy.

"You better watch it," he said tickling her side. "You're going to be a Weasley very soon!"

"Good point, but you're avoiding the question," she accused.

"I was just thinking about the look on your dad's face when I asked him for his blessing. You really should have seen it Lil! It was priceless!"

"You asked for his permission?"

"Of course I did."

"What did he say?" she wondered twirling a strand of his hair around her finger at the base of his neck.

"He said he couldn't think of anyone else he would want you to end up with."

"I couldn't agree more," she said bringing her lips to his this time and kissing him suggestively.

* * *

"I can't believe my baby girl is getting married," Harry sighed, lying on his back staring up at the ceiling of the room he and Ginny were sharing. They'd decided they were going to tell Jack and Lily about the house in a few days, so they were staying at Ron and Hermione's house for a while.

"They're young," Ginny said, as she sat down on the edge of the bed brushing her hair.

"I'm happy for them. Hopefully they'll settle down once they're married."

"What do you mean, settle down? Isn't marriage in and of itself settling down?" She asked playfully.

"I jut want them away from the auror department," he clarified.

"What do they want?"

He looked up at her with a serious expression before answering. "Jack wants to get Lily out. But…um…he wants to stay until we catch Malfoy."

"And by 'we' you mean you and him and other aurors from the department?" She asked putting the pieces together. He opened his mouth to say something with an apologetic look on his face, but she raised her hand to stop him. "No, Harry don't. I understand. She's your daughter and he hurt her. You have every right to be mad as hell about what happened. I wouldn't blame you if you killed him the moment you laid eyes on him. Just…you know, don't take any extra chances. Okay?"

Harry took one of her hands in his and pulled her toward him. "Come here," he said, as she put down her brush on the nightstand and rested her head on his chest. He draped an arm protectively around her waist and she slipped a leg over his to bring herself closer to him. "Ginny, I love you. I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"I love you too," Ginny responded.

"I would like us to be married by the time I leave to go after him," he said calmly.

"Is that so," she replied, smiling against his chest. "And just how soon are you going to have to leave?"

"Any day now," he explained softly. "Aurors all over the globe are keeping their eyes out for him. Malfoy isn't stupid but he's not a brilliant criminal either. He'll slip up. When he does, the department will send out a team to take him down. I only hope we'll be able to get Luis too. But what I'm saying is that I don't know when I'm going to have to leave."

"So when you said we should get married soon…you meant really soon," Ginny surmised.

"Actually, that's exactly what I meant. I was thinking, we could just have a small ceremony before the start of term. You know that way no one would know and we wouldn't have to worry about any unwanted publicity. We could even do it at the Burrow if you want," he suggested.

Ginny sat up to lean her back against the headboard. Harry followed suit somewhat worried about her silence until he saw the smile on her lips. "I've always wanted to get married there. With all the family. Something small and intimate."

"I know," he said with a grin. "We used to talk about it."

"A wedding at the Burrow, huh? Before term starts?"

"I think we could pull it off. If that's what you want. I understand if you want to wait and plan something bigger…"

Ginny shock her head and silenced him with a finger to his lips. "Harry, I couldn't care less if we got married in the middle of a dingy alleyway in London. All I care about is spending the rest of my life with you."

"Well I'd never marry you there," Harry said, going along with her joke.

"And why is that?" Ginny wondered as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

"Because your father not to mention your brothers would kill me."

Ginny couldn't help but laugh at the completely serious look on his face. "You've got a point there, Potter. But you know, if we're going to do this so soon why don't we just keep it a secret until the day of the wedding. Might be a good way to get back at my brothers for years of torment," she thought out loud with a funny grin.

"You're terrible," he said laughing.

"No, Harry I'm serious! I can talk to mom, tell her that we all want to have a Saturday at the Burrow to celebrate the new year and all that. We can plan it for the Saturday before term starts. I'll get all my brothers there and their wives and children. We can just conveniently forget to tell them that we're getting married."

"We'll have to tell your parents, Gin. I need to ask their permission," he reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said waving her hand dismissively. "I'll have to tell Hermione so she can come with me to find a dress and all that. But you can't tell Ron. We both know he can't keep a secret."

"So this is what you want?" Harry asked seriously.

"Yes, this is what I want," Ginny said nodding her head.

"I'll talk to you're parents tomorrow," he said yawning.

"Sounds like a plan, Potter," she said kissing his cheek.

"Okay, Potter," he said before kissing her properly, waving his hand to cast a silencing charm over the room, and snapping his fingers to snuff out the candles.

* * *

Lily sat on the cushion by the bay window reading late into the night the following day. Jack had gone to bed early because they had training the next morning. Her father had just gotten back from being away from the house most of the day. He wouldn't tell anyone where he'd been. Ginny and Aunt Hermione had been gone all afternoon as well. Everyone came back together for dinner. Uncle Ron seemed completely clueless about what was going on and he kept asking questions in hopes that someone would slip up and let him in on what was going on.

Closing her book, Lily stretched and yawned before standing up ready to head upstairs. She walked into the kitchen where her father, Ginny, and Jack's parents were up talking. She was about to bid them goodnight when there was a knock at the door.

"Who could that be at this hour," Hermione said getting up and walking out of the room. They heard her answer the and second later she emerged with Lily and Jack's friend Dylan.

"Hey Lil," Dylan said with his hands deep in his pockets looking a little bit on edge.

Lily looked more than a little surprised to see him. "What's up Dylan? Is everything alright?" She asked as they all walked into the living room to sit and talk.

"I need to talk to you about something," Dylan said as he took a seat next to Harry on the sofa and across from Ron, Ginny, and Lily. Hermione left saying she was going to go to bed.

"Would you like us to leave you two alone?" Harry asked glancing over at Ron looking uncomfortable.

"No, I would actually like to hear what you guys think about what I have to say," Dylan said, again looking very out of place.

"What is this about?" Lily pressed with a worried expression.

"It's about Robbie," Dylan confessed.

"Who's Robbie?" Harry asked.

"He's my brother," Dylan answered forgetting that Harry doesn't know him as well as Lily does. "You know he's in school in America, right Lil?"

"Yeah, you told me you sent him there after…" Lily didn't finish her thought after she saw the look on her friend's face.

"Well, his headmaster contacted me and I went to see him today. It seems Robbie has excelled in all his classes and the American auror department wants to take him into some early training program they have going on over there," Dylan explained.

"I see," Lily said reflectively. "What does Robbie want to do?"

"He wants to go more than anything," Dylan replied regretfully.

"And what do you want him to do?" Lily asked. Everyone could tell she'd struck the cord.

Even though it was pretty obvious how Dylan felt about the situation, he still seemed reluctant to put it into words. He took a cleansing breath and went on. "You know in order for him to enter the training he'd have to be emancipated from me as his legal guardian. Like Jack was when you started working with them the summer before last."

Lily nodded her head and glanced at her father. He was also looking at her with many questions in his head. He wasn't all together sure he knew what was going on. "What do your parents say?" Harry asked dumbly.

Dylan looked down to the floor and didn't answer. It didn't look like he was angry; it just looked like he couldn't find the right words to say. "Dylan's parents were killed at the beginning of last year," Lily told him. "He and his brother were placed under the care of his aunt who was killed a few months later. Dylan was made Robbie's guardian because by that time he was seventeen. But if Robbie wants to work for the auror department he must be emancipated as an adult because his parents are no longer alive to give consent. Jack had to be emancipated from Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. But I didn't have to go through the emancipation process before I could start working with them officially. No parents meant there was one to claim responsibility for me, other than myself. I suppose if I had still be living at the orphanage it would have been different, but since I wasn't and the Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron aren't my guardians by law, there was no one to argue with."

Harry nodded in at his daughter in understanding and patted the scared looking teenager beside him on the back. "I'm sorry…I didn't realize you'd lost your parents."

"You wouldn't have known," Dylan said looking him in the eye for a second before returning his gaze to Lily. "I don't want him to do it. I know he's the same age that you and Jack were when you started but…I still don't want him to go through with it."

"Can I ask why?" Lily asked in a compassionate voice.

"I don't want his life to be as hard as…" Dylan started to explain but when he looked into Lily's eyes, he no longer had the heart to tell her the truth.

Lily got his point and finished the thought for him, "You don't want his life to be as hard as mine has been. Is that right?"

"Yes," Dylan admitted looking ashamed. Lily looked down at the floor for a few seconds trying to gather her thoughts. Dylan saw he had upset her and continued talking before she had the opportunity to respond. "Lil, I'm only saying this because I've seen first hand what the auror department has done to you, and I've seen what it's done to Jack. I've witnessed the life you guys lead and it scares the living hell out of me. You two are my best friends and I don't want to see that happen to my little brother. I honestly don't know how you do it! I know I'm being selfish because Robbie could be real asset to the department. He's smart and he's got a good sense about him. The fact that our parents died at the hands of the people he'd be fighting against also fuels his need to do this."

"I understand," Lily said looking up at him. Harry noticed her eyes where glazed over but he could also see how hard she was trying to keep from letting her tears be known.

"Just answer me one thing," Dylan said in a determined voice. "If you had it all to do over again…would you have worked with the auror department as a fifteen year old, or would you have waited until you were of age to make that decision?"

Lily thought about his question for a long time. She looked over at both her father and godfather and took several deep breaths before answering. "I would have waited if I had really been given the choice, but unfortunately that wasn't really the case. Being an auror was my destiny. There was nothing I could do to change that. Innocent people are dying because of what Malfoy and others were doing, and they need my help. All I can think about was more children loosing their mothers like I did. I just wanted to stop it. But you're right, Dylan. If I had known then what I know now, I would not have started working with the auror department that young."

"What should I do?" Dylan pleaded, this time sounding desperate.

"I'll talk to him if you want me to," Lily offered. "I'm not sure he really realizes what he'd be giving up by going through with this. Perhaps talking to someone whose been there will make him want to wait until he's older and more informed to make this discussion."

"You'd do that?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes, I would," Lily answered with certainty.

"Thanks Lil, you don't know how much this means to me," Dylan said standing up and walking around the coffee table to give her a hug.

"I can apparate over there and talk to him during my lunch one of the days Jack and I are training or after I'm done at the hospital one weekend soon."

"That would be great! But I'll leave now so you all can go to bed," Dylan said as he and Lily walked toward the door.

"I guess I'll see you when term starts," Lily said when they reached the door.

"Yeah, you and Jack and I have to hang out again. Like we used to," Dylan said, "We don't do that as much as we should."

"I know…Jack and I will try to fix that problem," she told him awkwardly.

The door closed softly behind Dylan and Lily returned to the living room where Harry, Ginny, and Ron where still sitting. "I'm going to bed," she announced turning around to walk up the stairs.

"Don't you want to talk about what that was all about?" Harry asked bringing her attention back to the issue at hand.

Lily turned around with tears in her eyes. "What is there to talk about? I have the life a good friend of mine will stop at nothing to keep his little brother from having."

Harry stood up and took Lily by the shoulders. "I don't think that's what he meant, Lily."

She completely ignored his sentiment. "I personally can't believe he's still talking to me! I'm the reason he's parents are dead!" Lily said perhaps louder than she may have wanted.

"I think I'll leave you guys alone to talk about this," Ron said as he got up and kissed Lily goodnight before walking up the stairs.

"I'll got on up too," Ginny said following her brother and giving Harry a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder before she disappeared up the stairs.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked once they were gone.

"Dylan's parents were killed because Malfoy knew he was my friend. He went to their house trying to get information from them about what I was doing working with the auror department. When Dylan wouldn't give them any information they killed his parents and they probably would have moved on to him and his brother if Magical Law Enforcement hadn't shown up with they did. So if it hadn't been for me, he's parents would still be alive and he wouldn't be having this problem because his parents would never have let Robbie even think about doing this."

"It is not your fault Malfoy or anyone else has a vendetta against you," Harry said forcibly. "Did you mean what you said about not working with the auror department if you had it to do over again?"

"Yes, I did mean it," Lily said looking at him squarely, "I hate what we do! I hate the constant state of panic! I hate what it's done to me, and I hate what it's done to Jack! Neither of us are the same people we were before we started this mess!"

"Why do you do it then?"

"Because I feel like it's my duty to try and help keep these people off the streets. I know what we're doing is making a difference somehow."

"You shouldn't do anything at the expense of your own happiness. Life is too short," Harry said with sadness. "Please trust me on this. I know what I'm talking about."

"I don't really think I'm ready to talk about this. There's nothing I can do to change the way things are. As much as I don't like what we do, I know it's necessary to keep another Tom Riddle from rising out of the ashes." She stood up clearly bringing an end to the conversation, "I'm going to bed, Daddy. I love you." She kissed him lightly on the cheek and walked up the stairs quickly, leaving Harry very confused in her wake.

He didn't linger in the living room alone for long after Lily left to go to bed. He walked back up the stairs and headed to the room he and Ginny were sharing. It was the room closest to the master bedroom on the left hand side. He opened the door and found his fiancé sleeping peacefully. Harry took off all his clothes, save his boxers, and climbed into bed next to her, allowing sleep to take him away from the upset this sudden development had caused.

Lily stopped just outside Jack's door to whip the tears from her face before she entered and changed into her night cloths. Jack was sound asleep on his side of the bed, lying on his stomach with his arms up under his pillow and his head facing the nightstand on his side of the bed. Lily climbed into bed as softly as she could and faced away from him. She knew if he woke up he'd be able to tell she'd been crying, and she didn't want to upset him. She closed her eyes and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

_

* * *

_

_When Lily opened her eyes she was back in the cell at Malfoy Manor. She could feel all the pain coming back to her, just as it had so many times before in so many dreams just like this one. This must have been near the end, days before Jack came to rescue her. She knew this because she could feel her body dying slowly. At this point she hadn't eaten in two weeks and had only minuscule amounts of water. She looked around the room and saw all the familiar sights; the puddles of blood all around, the jagged rocks lining the walls and protruding out at all angles, the rusted bars that kept her captive in this hellish nightmare. They were all the same as they always had been. _

_"Look who's awake," a voice called from the other side of the bars. Lily knew it was Malfoy and she didn't respond. She remained motionless, partially because she was too weak to move, and partially because she was tied to the wall with ropes above her head._

_"And how is our little angel today?" Malfoy said this time from a closer distance. Looking down, Lily could see his shoes come into her line of vision. She didn't avert her eyes to look up at him. She simply stared at the shoes. They were dress shoes. Shiny and perfect against their rough surroundings and they looked strikingly out of place. "I asked you a question Potter," Malfoy said this time right in her ear. She could feel him removing the ropes from her hands and feet. She knew what was coming next. She knew all too well. Malfoy smacked her across the face so hard that it sent her flying down to the ground hard. He turned her over violently and for the first time she looked into his eyes. Those cold grey eyes that she had not been able to get out of her mind since she was eleven years old. _

_"Why are you doing this?" she asked him with little emotion._

_"Does it matter," he said hatefully as he slapped the other side of her face, but this time he held her body in place so she didn't roll onto her stomach with the force of the blow. _

_"I think I deserve to know," she pressed once she recovered from the pain of his slap. _

_Malfoy stood up and kicked her hard in the ribcage, this time causing her to roll over on her side trying to avoid any further kicks to that area of her body which was already covered in deep bruises. _

_"You don't deserve the air you breath, Potter!" Malfoy screamed as he kicked her over and over again until the dark cell became blurry. She tried her hardest to remain strong. This was only a dream. She was really still in bed with Jack, and any minute she would wake up and it would all be over. She would be safe again if she could just force her body to wake up and leave the dream. But for how long? How much longer could she live like this? Everything became completely black in a matter of seconds and she felt herself slip back into sweet unconsciousness. _

* * *

Lily opened her eyes to find herself back in Jack's room with him shaking her shoulders and looking down at her with worry and tears in his eyes. She shook her head to try and get rid of the cobwebs the dream had left her with. It always amazed her how real the dreams seemed. She could feel the pain of everything. She knew the hunger in her stomach from lack of food. She felt the thrust in her throat from not drinking anything in ages. It was like reliving the whole thing over and over again.

Looking up at Jack now she knew exactly what was going through his mind. She could tell just from the look on his face. "You saw it too…didn't you?" She asked him warily.

"You never really told me what it was like. You never told me he said things like that to you," Jack said cupping the side of her face with his hand, and brushing over a bruise that was beginning to appear on her cheek from where she had been slapped. "Why didn't you tell me they were that vivid?"

"I didn't want to scare you," Lily said looking away.

"What about how scared you were, Lily! I saw the whole thing! I was standing right there. I know you knew it wasn't real. I've never seen you with that look in your eye. Like you'd just given up!"

Lily didn't say anything. She just continued to look the other way until Jack cursed in frustration and rolled over onto his back, pulling her along with him into his arms. He didn't say anything for several minutes, yet she knew he hadn't fallen asleep.

Jack could feel Lily batting her eyelashes ever couple of minutes which felt like butterfly kisses on his bear chest. He ran the tips of his fingers across her back, trying in vain to ease her tense body. "Lily, you need to be honest with me about these dreams," he said finally breaking the silence. "I know they scare you and I know you don't want to seem weak or helpless to everyone else. But I'm not just everyone else! I care about you. I never want to see that look in your eye again. I thought you'd close your eyes any minute and just let go and die."

"Why fight them? The dreams are always the same and they always come back. There is no point in fighting the things you can't change."

"There is always a reason to fight!" Jack said crushing her body against his chest trying to get her to understand his point. "You can't give up living just because you're tired of fighting. I'll fight for you if I have to, but I'm not letting you give in to all this!"

"I'm just sick of fighting," she whispered.

"I know you are. I am too. But you've _got_ to talk to me. I know something's up with you. I can feel you're keeping something from me and I can't for the life of me figure out what it is."

"I'm fine, Jack," she lied. She knew she should have told him about the incident with Dylan, but for some reason she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She knew she should also tell him how much she hates working for the department. How much she really does want to give up. But most of all, she knew she should tell him that she doesn't deserve him. Jack deserves someone who has as much heart as he does. She knew she used to have that at one time in the past, but she'd lost it along the way and didn't think she could ever get it back.

"I think its more than that. You just don't want to tell me," he pressured further and breaking into her train of thought.

"Can we just agree to disagree on this one," she pleaded.

"No, but we can agree to go to sleep and talk about it later," he told her.

"Goodnight then," she said snuggling into his chest and falling back to sleep restlessly.

* * *

a/n- Ok, please review!

* * *


	7. Chapter Seven: Bumps in the Road

Chapter Seven: Bumps in the Road

Harry and Ron took a trip down to the auror training center to see how things were going. Hermione and Ginny were once again out shopping for things they would need at the wedding. Ron still had know idea what was going on, and Harry decided he should get him out of the house.

The wedding had been arranged to take place at the Burrow in two days. All of Ginny's brothers had been instructed by their mother to come over at around lunch time on Saturday. Mrs. Weasley had told them they would be spending the day together and having dinner.

Right now however, he was worried about both Jack and Lily. They seemed tired and disconnected since Christmas only days before. They approached the main desk where a small friendly looking black woman sat looking down at a sheet of paper.

"Hello," Ron said, getting the woman's attention.

"Hello, may I help you?" she said pleasantly, looking up from her paper.

"Yes, we're looking for Jack Weasley and Lily Potter," Ron said, smiling.

The woman looked down at the sheet of parchment in her hands and then looked back up at them. "Weasley just finished a training exercise and he will most likely be in the healer's office. It's the third door on the fourth floor after you get off the elevator. Potter is in a session right now so you won't be able to see her for about half an hour. You may go through that door and you'll find the elevator."

Harry was puzzled, "That's it? No third degree about coming to visit unannounced?"

"Aurors can visit whenever they like, it doesn't matter how long they have been inactive," she stated, smiling warmly again.

"Thanks," Ron said, pushing Harry towards the door.

"That was easy," Harry said as soon as they were alone on the elevator.

"Yeah, I was expecting a fight," Ron admitted as the elevator let them off at the third floor. Once the doors opened, they saw what looked like Jack walking away from them further down the hallway.  
"Jack!" Ron called, trying to get him to turn around. When the young man turned around they saw that it was indeed Jack. His face lit up when he saw his father and godfather walking towards him. He did look tired and wary, however.

"Dad? Harry? What are you guys doing here," Jack happily wondered as he walked towards them.

"We came to see how you guys were doing. How was your training today?" Harry asked, patting Jack on the shoulder.

"It was okay. It could have gone better, but I'm a little worn out today so I guess I didn't have my head in the right place," he said, looking down. "Hey, why don't you guys come with me to the locker room? Lily and I have clearance to leave once she's done with her training."

"Sounds good," Harry said, following Jack down the hall.

He led them into a small room with two large lockers on one wall and benches all around. There was a sign on the front of the door that said: The Dream Team.

"What's this all about?" Harry asked, pointing to the sign.

"That's a department joke. They call us the dream team," Jack answered, smiling at the sign then entering then closing the door behind him. He walked over to the locker with his name on it and opened the door taking out his duffle bag and a bottle of water. He looked over at Harry as if he was going to say something and then thought better of it, turning back to the locker.

"What is it, Jack?" Harry asked, sounding alarmed. Jack didn't get that look on his face often, and when he did it usually meant that something had happened.

"Lily had another dream again last night," he said without further restraint. He decided he'd leave out the fact that he too had seen the dream and knew now exactly what she went through when she had them.

"How bad was it?" Harry asked, sitting down in the bench on the opposite wall from him. Ron sat next to him, putting his elbows on his knees and looking at his son gravely.

"Bad," Jack said, looking at Harry square in the eye.

"I didn't hear anything," Ron recalled.

"There's a silence charm on our bedroom. Lily insists on having one because she doesn't want to wake up the boys if she has a dream. She doesn't want to scare them anymore than they already have been. But anyway, I don't think she started screaming this time. She just pretty much went through the dream and didn't put up much of a fight."

Harry shook his head in disgust. How could a person like Malfoy posses so much control over a person? "Was she hurt?"

"She's got a few bruises. We got the ones on her face healed today when we came in," Jack said, nodding his head, "but don't tell her I told you. I think you may want to talk to her, Harry. Get her to tell you on her own. It may help for her to talk about it."

"Okay, thanks for the heads up," Harry said appreciatively.

"Does Lily know when she's going to talk to Robbie yet?" Ron asked, changing the subject.

Jack's face creased with confusion. "Robbie? Dylan's Little brother? Why would she need to talk to him?"

Harry and Ron exchanged looks. "She didn't tell you?" Ron asked while Harry remained silent.

"Tell me what?" Jack asked apprehensively.

"Dylan came by the house last night and asked Lily to go talk to his little brother because he is apparently being pursued by the American auror department and they want him to start training like you guys did," Ron explained briefly. "Dylan asked Lily to have a talk with him and try to talk him out of going through with the training at least until he's old enough."

Jack nodded his head in understanding, "So what did Lily say?"

"She told him that she'd talk to Robbie. She was pretty upset by some of the things he said or implied," Harry added.

"I can only imagine. I don't know why she didn't tell me about this last night when she came up to bed. I must have been asleep because I don't remember her getting in bed at all," Jack said, thinking back to the night before.

"She probably didn't want to make a big deal about it. You know how Lily is. She never wants to burden anyone with her problems," Ron said sadly.

Jack stood up without another word and started packing his things to leave for the day. He was nearly finished when the door to the locker room opened suddenly causing all of them to jump. In came Lily through doorway, holding a bloody cloth to her mouth. She looked startled to see her father and Ron there.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" she asked, removing the cloth to reveal a swollen lip. It looked like someone had punched her in the face.

"We came to see how you guys were doing," Ron stated. "What happened to your lip?"

She placed the cloth back in front of her lip. "It happened during the duel. I'll get it healed in a little while before we leave maybe."

Jack opened Lily's locker for her and handed her the duffle bag that was hanging on the hook inside. "How did it go?"

She looked at him seriously. "You don't want to know."

"That bad, huh?" Jack said cautiously.

"It was pretty bad," she repeated, putting the cloth down and starting to pack her things.

A short man with dirty blonde hair opened the door to the locker room and looked around. "Lily," he said spotting her as she faced the locker.

"What?" she asked as cheerfully as she could manage.

"This just came for you," he said, handing her a letter and then leaving the room.

Lily sat down on the bench next to Jack, who was putting on a pair of street shoes. She tore open the envelope and pulled out the medium size paper that was inside. As she read the paper her face grew paler by the second.

"What is it?" Jack said, taking the letter from her. Lily just sat there, staring ahead as if in a trance.

"What does it say?" Harry asked, standing up and walking over to Jack. Harry took the letter when Jack offered it to him and found that it was a short note written out of newspaper clippings. The note read:

"Let's settle this once and for all, Potter! Meet me at the heights tonight at nine. If you show up with company innocent people will die! The only person you may bring with you is Jack Weasley, just because I want to see his face when you fall. We shall see how brave the daughter of the famous Harry Potter really is. Meet me there at nine and do not be late. Tonight one of our fates shall be decided."

"Who is this from?" Harry asked, handing the letter off to Ron who was now standing anxiously over his shoulder.

"Devon," Jack said, looking over to Lily who was still in a trance.

"Who is this Devon guy?" Harry wondered, looking over to Ron.

"He and I grew up together at the orphanage and he came to Hogwarts when I did," Lily said, breaking her silence, "He used to be one my friends when I was younger, until he decided to make some powerful friends. He is partially responsible for the death eater attack at Hogwarts last spring. He's been missing every since."

"How do you know it's him?" Harry asked, taking the letter from Ron to examine it again.

"Because the last time I saw him during the battle he said he would find me one day if I made it out alive. He said that he would kill me himself."

"You're not actually thinking of going to this place are you? Where is it, anyway?" Jack said, sounding worried.

"The height is a place up in the mountains behind the orphanage. We used to play there when we were kids. And yes I am taking him up on his offer. You read it yourself. He may have hostages; I can't just not go and risk something happening to them."

"Lily, this is crazy. I'm going with you," Jack stated defiantly.

"If you go you have to promise not to interfere. This isn't your fight, Jack."

"And it shouldn't be your fight either," Jack said, looking over at Harry.

"Jack's right, but what does this guy have against you anyway?" Harry asked, taking a seat again.

"How should I know?" she asked him rhetorically. "People don't always need a reason to hate someone else. But he is the one responsible for Allan's death. That much I know. He helped the death eaters out with passwords and even helped them fight once they were in the castle," Lily said, picking up her bag and standing up. "Can we go home now?"

"I guess," Ron said as they all stood up, "You'd better not tell your aunt about this. She'll be worried sick. Harry and I are going to follow you two. We'll make sure he doesn't see us."

"Let's just go home," she said as they left the room and walked down the hall.

* * *

At seven o'clock that Jack and Lily were up in his room reading. They were both trying to keep their minds off what was going to take place that evening. Jack was sitting in the arm chair by the window and Lily was lying on her stomach on the bed with her book propped up on the pillow in front of her. Jack watched her for a minute. She was wearing her glasses and staring at the page intensely. She always took studying so seriously. 

"I'm going to take a shower before we have to go," Jack said standing up and taking off his shirt.

"Okay," she said rolling over onto her back and gazing up at him. Jack took one look at her and couldn't force himself to leave the room. He sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned over to kiss her lingeringly. She responded by bring her arms up to his back and pulling him closer to her. When he pulled away her eyes were still closed, and they stayed closed for a lingering second.

"What was that for?" she asked when she finally opened her eyes.

"What, can't a guy kiss his future wife," Jack said playfully as he leaned forward again and kissed her neck.

"Yes, he can, but I thought you were getting in the shower," she said between fits of laughter.

"Care to join me?" he said, lifting his head up to look her in the eye with a raised eyebrow.

"And have my father walk in here and discover us in there together? No way," she said, laughing harder.

"Okay love, I'll be back in a few," he said as he got up and went into the bathroom.

Jack stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and another smaller towel he used to ruffle through his hair, trying to dry it a little bit. He looked around the room and found it completely empty.

On the bed he found a piece of parchment and knew exactly what had happened: Lily had left without him. He almost left the room to go after her without even reading the note, but then he realized he didn't know where to go. She was never specific about where this place actually was. He grabbed the letter and read it as he walked out of the room and down the stairs.

_Dear Jack,_

_I know you're probably furious with me right now but I need you to keep your cool and hear what I have to say. I can't have you there when I fight Devon. He gave me permission to have you there, which means he may have other plans for you. He might even have people there to kill you in hopes that I would loose it. And I would. _

_There is another reason I don't want you there. If something happens to me tonight I don't want you there to see it. I want you to remember me as you saw me this afternoon just before you got in the shower. I want you to remember me as the girl you love and the girl who wants nothing more than to marry you and spend the rest of her life making you happy. Please don't hate me for this, Jack. I promise to do everything in my power to come back to you. But if I don't I want you to know that you have made me so incredibly happy in the time we have spent together. I've loved you my whole life, even before I knew you existed, and I'll love you forever. _

_All my love,_

_L.E.P._

"Jack what is it?" a voice said from far away.

He looked up and realized he was in the kitchen where his entire family and Aunt Ginny was sitting down to dinner.

There was a loud CRACK behind him and he turned around coming face to face with Dennis O'Connor, the new head of the auror department.

"You know about this, don't you?" Jack accused, holding up the letter that was now crumpled up in his hand.

"Yes Jack," Dennis replied, sounding sympathetic. "Lily sent me an owl at the ministry about five minutes ago."

"What are you going to do about it?" he demanded.

"What is going on?" Harry asked, standing up from the table. The rest of the family stayed put and remained completely silent.

"There is nothing I can do," Dennis said, completely ignoring Harry's question, "This is Lily's fight."

"Like hell it is! The ministry has been looking for Devon since the death eaters attached Hogwarts! Now that we've finally found him you're just going to sit on your hands and hope that Lily can handle him all on her own! We don't know who he's been training with. We don't know what he's been up to these past few months. And you and I both know that she is not in the right state of mind to be going off doing this."

"Will someone please tell me what in the hell is going on!" Harry shouted.

"Kids, I think you'd better go upstairs," Ron said, looking at the scared faces of his children around him. The boys did as they were told and left the room with no complaint.

"Lily went to fight Devon on her own, with no backup, and all she left was this note," Jack said, handing the letter over to Harry who read it quickly and then looked up in a rage. He handed the note to Ginny who gasped in horror.

"You're going to let my daughter go through with this!"

"It was Lily's wish that we not interfere. She explained the letter Devon sent her in the owl I received at the ministry. She doesn't want to bring anyone in on this. She doesn't want anyone to get hurt unnecessarily. I'm only respecting her wishes," Dennis said defensively.

"What about her getting hurt unnecessarily?" Jack asked with defiance.

Harry piped in. "She's only a kid herself! How can she make a decision like this?" he asked stepping forward as Dennis remained motionless.

"I met your daughter on the day she took the exam the ministry gave her and Jack to determine what classes they would take in their first year at school. And I can tell you without a doubt in my mind that Lily Potter was not a child then, nor is she one now. She is the most grown up person I have ever had the privilege of working with." Dennis said this looking Harry directly in the eye.

Harry took a cleansing breath to keep his temper in check. "She may not seem like a child to you, but she is my still my little girl." His voice had returned to a normal volume but was even more threatening.

Jack had heard enough. He turned away from Dennis to face Harry, "If you're not going to do anything about this, than we will! Harry, can you take me back to the orphanage where you sent Lily?"

"Yes," Harry said, grabbing his robe that was on the back of his chair

"I'm going too," Ginny said as she ran to the coat closet to get her cloak. Harry didn't argue as they both followed Jack, who was already out the back door.

* * *

The snowy mountains of Utah stood tall against the black vacant night sky as Jack and Harry raced toward the base of the mountain that stood behind a large complex of buildings known as Salt Lake City Orphanage for Magical Children. The air was crisp against Jack's face as he made a sudden turn to the left, in the direction of a cluster of tall trees. 

"She's over here," Jack yelled over his shoulder at Harry.

Their pace quickened as they approached a clearing in the trees and saw a heap of robes lying on the ground. He knew the robes belonged to Lily and his breath caught in this throat.

They were too late. The duel had already taken place.

Harry heard Ginny take in a deep breath and say a silent prayer beside him as she took his hand reassuringly. They stopped dead in their tracks, and though Harry's mind willed him to go further, he couldn't move another inch.

"Lily!" Jack yelled as he approached her body and fell to his knees. He hastily turned her over and found her face pale and her lips blue from the cold. Her skin felt like ice when he touched her face gently with his fingers. Reaching down to her neck he felt for a pulse and was relieved to discover her heart beating strong.

"She's alive!" Jack yelled to Harry and Ginny who was frozen with fear several yards away.

"Oh thank God," Ginny breathed a sigh of relief.

Jack shook her shoulders and watched as her eyes fluttered open. "Lily, what happened?"

"Its over," she managed to croak out before passing out again. Jack picked her up in his arms and walked back to Harry who was standing over another heap of robes lying beneath a tree. Harry bent down and felt for a pulse along the man's neck, but there was none.

"He's dead," Harry said, standing up.

"Leave him there. We'll send someone back for his body. We've got to get her warm."

Ginny, who had been looking around to make sure there was no one else in the clearing, walked back over to the two of them. "We need to get her home," she told them taking one look at Lily's pale face.

Harry looked at Lily in Jacks arms and knew she was right. They ran back down to the orphanage and then apparated back home. Hermione and Ron where waiting in the living room for news. When Hermione saw Lily in Jack's arms she cried out in relief.

"She's alright Mum. I think we just need to warm her up," Jack said, leading the way up the stairs and into his bedroom. Lily was even beginning to wake up as he kicked his door open.

"Jack," she whispered.

"You're alright," he cooed as he laid her on the bed.

"I killed him," she said as tears escaped through the corners of her eyes.

"You did what you had to do," he said, sitting down next to her and holding her hand. "There was nothing else you could have done."

She shook her head and closed her eyes to keep her tears at bay. Jack was about to stand up and check on where everyone else was when she tightened her grip on his hand.

"Don't leave," she begged softly. "Please don't leave now."

"Okay, you just need to calm down alright, Lil? Everything is going to be fine," He bushed the hair out of her face, and saw scrapes across her cheek as if she had taken a branch to the face.

"I tired to get him to come back with me and go to the ministry. But he wouldn't listen. He said Allan deserved what happened to him. I didn't want to kill him, Jack. But he wasn't going to let me leave without killing me first. I really though I could get him to understand that what he did was wrong." She was now sobbing openly, and Jack took her in his arms properly.

"Shhh, it's okay. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Please Jack, you've got to believe me! I didn't want to kill him!" She begged, looking up into his eyes with her now tear-streaked face.

He kissed her forehead and whispered meaningfully in her ear, "I believe you, baby. It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong."

She only cried harder the more he tired to comfort her. He reached over to pull the down comforter over the two of them and got in bed with her, pulling her head onto his chest.

"I don't understand what I did to make him hate me so much. He used to be my friend," she said a bit calmer several minutes later.

"I can't answer that either. I don't know what he was thinking." Jack rubbed her back and felt her body slowly relax.

Glancing to the door he saw his parents, Harry, and Ginny standing there with worried expressions. He nodded his head trying to tell them that everything was okay. Hermione stepped forward and closed the door to give them privacy.

Just when he thought she was asleep, Lily spoke again. "He was going to kill you."

"What?" Jack said sitting up a little bit and turning her head to face him.

"He was going to kill you if you had come with me. He was going to kill you to get to me, just like I said he would."

"You still shouldn't have done what you did. You scared your father and me to death," he said, with slight anger in his voice.

"I wasn't going to let something happen to you because of me. I couldn't have lived with myself if I had."

Jack took one look at her and knew he would never be able to stay mad. She had only done what she thought she was the right thing to do, and if the situation were reversed he would have done the same thing.

"Never do that to me again," he said, pulling her back down onto his chest and holding her close.

"I did what I had to do to keep those I love out of harms way. And I'd do it again if I had to," she said forcefully.

"Well, then I guess I'd better watch you closer next time," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

She yawned widely and draped her arm across his chest. "I guess so."

"Go to sleep my love," he said, closing his own eyes and welcoming the comfort of darkness and a good night's rest.

* * *

a/n- Okay guys, hope you liked it! I am sorry the updates are slow but I've hit a road block in the story up ahead and I'm having some serious writers block. It would really help me if you all would review and tell me about what the story is missing or lacking. Please review! In the meantime, chapter eight is a REALLY BIG AND IMPORTANT CHAPTER! So here is a little taste of what's ahead!

excerpt from Chapter Eight: Coming Clean

"You've never really asked me about what I did when I was in America. Why I faked my death and left Lily the way I did? What I did while I was in hiding? Haven't you been curious?"

Nodding her head, Ginny answered, "I just figured you'd tell me what you were ready to tell me. I didn't want to push you into reveling things you weren't ready to."

"Thank you for giving me time. But I think I'm ready to tell you now. I think I need to tell you." A dark look crossed Harry's face as he added, "I need to tell you things I haven't even told Lily. Things I need to tell her about. I don't think I can keep all this to myself anymore."

"I'm here, Harry," she said sitting up further on the pillows. "I'll help in whatever way I can."

"Where do you want me to start?" He asked.


	8. Chapter Eight: Coming Clean

A/N- Okay guys, this is the one most of you have been waiting for. You will finally learn a thing or two about Harry. There is actually very little Lily/Jack in this chapter. Most of it is Harry and Ginny. Please tell me what you think!

* * *

Chapter Eight: Coming Clean

"I thought she was dead when we saw that heap of robes," Harry said as he lay on his back with Ginny leaning on his chest.

"So did I," she said, running a hand over his stomach and grasping his hand. "I think my heart stopped there for a second."

"Jack was brilliant. He just ran over to her without any fear at all. All I could do was stand there."

"You're her father. People deal with stress in different ways, love. You can't compare apples and oranges," she reassured him.

"She never should have gone out there alone. That was a stupid thing to do," he said almost angrily.

"It's what you would have done," she reminded him.

"Whose side are you on anyway?" he joked. It was a wonder he could find anything to smile about at all with what had happened. But that was just Ginny's gift: she could always make him laugh.

"I'm not claiming sides in this. I'm just stating the truth as it stands. You've got a reputation, Potter."

"Tart," he jabbed, with good humor.

"Git," she retorted.

"All that matters is that she's okay," he proclaimed.

"Indeed," Ginny agreed, and asked warily, "Do you think we should postpone the wedding?"

"No, definitely not," Harry said confidently. "I think this will lift everyone's spirits a little."

"Do you think she'll be strong enough?" She wondered with concern. "I don't want to overload her emotionally."

"Lil is a tough kid. She'll have tomorrow to rest and I'll just keep an eye on her. Besides we've already got everything planned for Saturday. Did you get a dress today with 'Mione?"

Ginny pulled up from her place on his chest to prop herself up on her elbow so she could look him in the eye. "Maybe…maybe not. I guess you'll just have to wait and see," she answered vaguely with a malicious grin on her face.

Harry shrugged as if it meant nothing. "Well, the dress really doesn't matter anyway. I'm just going to take it off anyway," he said cheekily.

Her jaw dropped in mock horror and she swatted him on the shoulder for good measure. "Harry James Potter! That was crude!"

"Oh, you love it," he said, kissing her soundly on the lips. He stopped the kiss just short of crossing the line where it would have lead to something much more. Ginny looked somewhat confused when he sat up and walked over to the window, leaving her alone on the bed.

"I know that look, Harry," she said warily. "What's on your mind?"

Harry looked back at her and smiled. She looked worried—beautiful and worried. He took a deep breath, sat down in the chair by the window and spoke up. "I was just thinking about seeing Lily like that tonight. It just made me think about some things. Lily and Jack have got such a history together. I was wondering that if she had died there tonight, if they would have regretted keeping any secrets from each other. And that got me thinking about you and me."

Ginny stayed where she was on the bed. Somehow she seemed to know he needed some space. "You think there are things we haven't said to each other?" She asked, gently encouraging him to continue.

And continue he did. "You've never really asked me about what I did when I was in America. Why I faked my death and left Lily the way I did? What I did while I was in hiding? Haven't you been curious?"

Nodding her head, Ginny answered, "I just figured you'd tell me what you were ready to tell me. I didn't want to push you into revealing things you weren't ready to."

"Thank you for giving me time. But I think I'm ready to tell you now. I think I need to tell you." A dark look crossed Harry's face as he added, "I need to tell you things I haven't even told Lily. Things I need to tell her about. I don't think I can keep all this to myself anymore."

"I'm here, Harry," she said, sitting up further on the pillows. "I'll help in whatever way I can."

"Where do you want me to start?" he asked.

"The beginning is always a good place," she rationalized. "Start with when you left."

Throwing caution to the wind, Harry took another breath and launched into what was sure to be a long story. "I arrived in New York city, where I was assigned to the top group of aurors in the country. They were working mostly on trying to track down all the people who had committed war crimes in Voldemort's name."

"That's when you met Melissa?"

"Yes, she was with them. We connected right away. Like I've said before, she had no one. She was living by herself in the city and she was an emotional wreck, though I can't say I was much better. She was a workaholic, she didn't take care of herself; she hardly slept. She was like me, you know. Plagued and self-sacrificing, as you might call it. Anyway, things moved pretty quickly with us."

"Self- sacrificing, yes. Plagued, no. But go on," Ginny teased.

He nodded, "She knew that I was running away from something. At first she tried like hell to convince me to go back home. She said I belonged with the people who loved me. But after awhile I think I had her convinced just like everyone else that I belonged as far away from you all as possible. We started dating and moved in together into a house in upstate New York away from the city."

"And then she found out she was pregnant," Ginny surmised.

"Yes, it was a few months later. She hadn't been feeling well and I came home to find some implicating potions on the counter. I knew what they meant and I was scared to death. I took it out on her and we had a huge row. We usually made it a point to never fight, we did enough of that on the job, but this was different. I made a complete ass of myself.

"Lucky for me, she forgave me. She couldn't work for the department anymore so she spent most of her time at home getting ready for the baby to be born. It was around that time when things really started to spiral out of control with the department."

"What do you mean?"

"Just before I found out Melissa was pregnant, I was approached about a mission. It was a long-term, top-secret mission that would have meant I would be undercover for years. There were, and still are for that matter, death eater organizations out there plotting to make a comeback. They don't care what the cost is in human life, they want their revenge.

"This group of aurors was being assembled to take as many of them down as possible. I was all set to take it. I knew I'd hurt Mel by doing it, but I really thought she'd be better off without me there to bring her down. She was getting better, you know. She was starting to smile and had even reconnected with some of her old classmates. But when I found out she was pregnant I turned down the job so I could stay with her.

"Anyway, when I first moved to America, I started getting all these treats delivered to me through the office. I thought they were nothing at first. Some of them were completely dismissible, while others were a little more convincing. Over there the homes of aurors are kept secret. No one knows where aurors live, where they spend their time, who they're married to, if they have kids. While I was over there I looked different, too. My hair was brown; I magically changed my eye color to brown. I had my scar disillusioned. You could have passed me on the street and never have known it was me. So what I'm saying is that no one knew about Mel and I. I was foolish to think that was enough of a protection for her."

"Harry, you couldn't have predicted what would happen," Ginny soothed.

"I would have if I'd put the pieces together. These threats, some of them were from pure blooded wizarding families who wanted revenge for what I'd done during the war. I'd get letters that would explode with curses and howlers the nearly pieced the eardrums of everyone in the office. I didn't take it as seriously as I should have. No name was ever signed to the letters. I found out they were from pure blooded families when Mel was killed."

"Did they leave a note or something?" Ginny asked, now moving to sit on the edge of the bed facing him.

Harry looked straight ahead, not really looking at her, but not really looking away from her either. In a way it was almost like he was looking right through her. "The night she was killed I returned home very late. I had been working overtime on a case and Mel was at home with Lily, who was only a few months old," he said, already looking on the verge of tears. "When I walked up the street, I noticed that there weren't any lights on in the house. Mel usually put Lily to sleep, and then went downstairs to sit in the living room and get some work done. She was still doing paperwork and research for the ministry.

"I walked up to the front door and found it unlocked. Mel always kept a magical lock on the door as well as a dead bolt so I knew something was up right away. I pulled out my wand and walked into the front room. No one was there that I could see so I turned on a light. It was obvious there had been a fight. There was blood spattered on the walls and lamps and chairs and stuff were knocked over."

He paused again and Ginny became more worried. "It's okay, love. You don't have to tell me all of this tonight."

"No, I need to get this out in the open. I should have dealt with it a long time ago but I just wouldn't let myself," he said, dropping his elbows to his knees and leaning forward. "When I saw the state of the front room I knew something was really wrong. I went back into the living room and that's where I found her." Stopping his recollection again, he shook his head trying desperately to get the images out of his head, but it seemed the more he tried to forget, the more his mind wanted him to remember.

_The house was cold and dark. The very walls seemed to hold the dread his felt in his heart as he raced down the hallway and into the living room. This room looked just as torn apart as the last. The sofa was flipped over onto its back. The pictures that used to hang on the walls were now on the ground surrounded by piles of broken glass. It wasn't until he walked around to the other side of the couch that he found what he was looking for. _

_"Melissa!" He said loudly, falling to his knees and turning her bloody body over on to her back. _

_Her eyes fluttered open and she groaned in pain. Her voice was barely auditable, "Harry."_

_Loosing his battle against tears, he stumbled over his words, "Oh God, Mel. Hold on….I'll think of something," he reassured her, racking his brain to think of someway to make her pain go away. He was no healer and they certainly didn't have anything in the house that would help. He couldn't move her without hurting her more and the house was fixed so no one could apparate from the inside out or the outside in._

_She shook her head, "No, it's too late. This is a curse you can't stop. Lily's upstairs…the charm worked, they…" a pained look crossed her face and she closed her eyes taking shallow quick breaths. _

_Harry pulled her onto his lap and held her trembling body close to him. Feeling something warm and wet on his hand that had been supported her back, he held it up in the moonlight to find it covered in blood. Horrified, he gasped trying to catch his own breath while he gently rolled her closer to him so he could see the deep gash on her left shoulder. _

_It was Melissa's anguished whisper that brought back his attention. "Harry, there's something I have to…have to…tell you something." _

_"What is it?" He asked, lovingly brushing the blood matted hair out of her face. _

_"My father was…Patrick Pierre," she told him in a rush. _

_Harry shook his head, racking his brain trying to figure out what she was trying to tell him. Suddenly it came to him. The Pierre's were a pure blood family with close ties to the Malfoy family. He thought they'd all been killed during the war. But if they weren't then that would mean…_

_"Oh no," he said looking down at her pleading for this all to be a joke. "You told me your father was dead."_

_"I know what I told you," she said, sobbing deep throaty sobs that caused her body to shake even more than it already was. "I'm so sorry, Harry…my mom left him with my…my brother and I when we were little. He was always there…one s…step behind us. He killed them…and that's when I joined the war effort to defeat you…you…know who." _

_Harry could tell her strength was waning. "Baby, you don't have to tell me this now." _

_She talked right over his mediocre protests. "No, Harry the threat is on Lily now. You have to find a way to keep her safe and way from him." _

_"Your father did this to you?" Harry asked in disgust. _

_"Yes, and he won't stop until he…has…has Lily too. He knows I have a child but he…doesn't know how old she is or that she's even a girl. He doesn't know you're my baby's father…he doesn't…" Melissa buried her face in Harry's chest to muffle a long moaning scream. _

_"Shhh," he soothed holding her tightly to him and rocking gently back and forth. "It's going to be okay." _

_"No it isn't!" She screamed, half from her own pain and half from sorrow. "Harry, if he ever finds out about her…you have to protect her somehow…keep her away from him but you also have to keep her away from Draco Malfoy…" _

_He was lost in confusion again. "What…Malfoy? What does Malfoy have to do with anything?"_

_"Because Draco and I were…we were…betrothed when I was born…that's how some pure blood families…maintain themselves. He can't have me now because I'm not pure so he punished me for it…this is my punishment. And because the Malfoy family can't have me…they'll want our daughter…no matter what you need to keep her away from the Malfoy's…if they…they see her they'll know," she said as her breath became shorter. _

_"But she's not technically a pure blood," he pointed out, "Why would they want her?" _

_"Because she's got my blood…my father's blood. Think about it, Harry. There are very few real pure bloods anymore…they'll settle for her or they'll at least settle for making her suffer for my rebellion. You've got to protect her, Harry…promise me that you'll do whatever it takes," she begged._

_"I promise," he said fervently._

_As soon as Harry made his vow, whatever strength she had left seemed to diminish. Her grip on his hand lessened and her eyes lids dropped. "Harry, promise me something else," she managed to croak out. _

_Looking down at her, he wiped her tears away not really sure if they were her tears or his. "Anything."_

_"P…promise me that one day… you…you'll tell her that you never stopped loving her," she asked through bluing chapped lips. _

"_Who?" Harry asked not wanting to believe it was that obvious. _

"_Harry…I've spent all my life…hiding from the truth…I thought I could hide from who I was…but I can't… and n…neither can you." _

"_Ginny," he whispered, looking off into the distance. "How did you…?" _

"_I've always known," she said, coughing up blood into her hand. _

"_You can't do this!" he said, holding on to her tighter as she faded away. _

"_I d…don't want to," she whispered. "I don't want to leave my daughter, or you." _

"_Then don't," he challenged desperately. "You can't leave me here!"_

_She gave him one last smile and assured him, "You don't need me." _

"_She does!" Harry screamed, looking up to the ceiling where their daughter was sleeping behind a protected door. _

_Somehow Melissa managed to shake her head. "She has you. I know you'll…do what you need to do to…keep her safe." _

"_I will," he said, kissing her forehead. "I love you," he added as he felt her let go of a breath. _

"…_love you…too," she said fleetingly as she sank into him further and took her last breath. _

Ginny listened patiently while Harry told her every detail of Melissa's death. He seemed to be in some kind of trance. His eyes glazed over with tears and a look of raw emotion was plastered to his face. He covered his face with his hands as he relayed Melissa's last words.

"Oh, Harry," she said, kneeling down in front of him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"She knew all about you, Gin," he stated. "She knew that I loved you and that I was running from you to keep you safe. She knew I could never feel for her the way she did for me, but she loved me anyway."

"You did love her," Ginny reminded him, "You told me so."

He nodded his head with a look of pure disgust. "But not like I loved you. Not even close."

She could see there was no arguing with him on this topic. "Alright, so what happened next?"

Harry cleared his throat and went on. "I don't know how long I just sat there on the floor and held her. I didn't know what to do. The things she'd just told me….I had no idea how I was going to keep Lily safe. I knew I couldn't bring her back to England because I couldn't guarantee her safety there. It's be a lot easier for Malfoy to find us if I was back in the U.K. Not to mention the fact that the department had intercepted threats against all of your lives if I ever set foot in Europe."

"Who's you all? Me and my family?" Ginny asked blankly.

"You, your family, Hermione, anyone I had ever known and interacted with at Hogwarts, complete strangers, it doesn't matter!" He said urgently.

"Harry, we could have protected ourselves. You should have come home so we could help you deal with everything," Ginny said sweetly.

"Gin, think about it, I lost my parents, Sirius, Dumbledore…everyone who ever tried to help me had failed and it had cost them their lives. Ron and Hermione had already given up their childhood to help me fight one evil or another. You…well the thought of dragging you into was unthinkable. The war had only been over a year or so and everything was settling down on the surface."

"Still, you should have let us in," Ginny said defiantly.

He shook his head in disagreement but continued on with the story. "Finally, I remembered Lily was still upstairs. When we brought her home from the hospital we cast a complicated charm on her nursery. The charm could be open or closed depending on if we were in there with her or not. If she was in there alone the charm was always closed so no one could enter other than us. That was why they couldn't find her. Someone could have walked right down the hallway and not seen the door to her nursery. Mel and I were the only ones who could see it. I ran up the stairs and found her in her crib. She was completely fine. Just like she always was, she was perfect."

When he remained silent, Ginny encouraged him to go on by taking his hand. "I picked her up and held her for what felt like hours. I remember she woke up and looked up at me sometime during the night. I looked into my baby girl's eyes and suddenly it became real. She didn't have a mother anymore because I hadn't been there to protect her."

Ginny interrupted, "Harry, Melissa even told you that it was because of some stupid pure blood nonsense. It had absolutely nothing to do with you. They didn't even know you were Lily's father."

"I should have been there to protect her. Two aurors is a lot better than one who had just given birth a few months before and hadn't worked in a while. After that night I hired a nanny for Lily. She was a really nice muggle woman. She was safe, you know? She didn't know anything about me. I changed the wards so I could apparate straight there, only me. That way no one would see me walking up to the house or anything. I would leave for work early every morning and I wouldn't come home until I knew Lily been in bed. I couldn't look at her. I couldn't touch her. I couldn't even think about her because of what had happened. It just hurt too much to think about Melissa, and Lily was apart of Melissa. Thinking about Melissa and Lily was like thinking about all the ways I had failed to protect them. So I blocked them both out. The threats against me were getting worse. It wasn't long after Melissa's death that Malfoy got close to finding out where I lived."

"How do you know?" Ginny wondered.

"Oh, Malfoy didn't just want to kill me. He wanted me to know he was going to kill me. He wanted me to live in fear, always looking over my shoulder waiting for him to find me. Malfoy isn't the stupid git we knew in school, Gin. He's a hardened war veteran who trained and fought with Voldemort himself. He'd been sending me little notes through the ministry ever since the war.

"But then his notes started to get more precise. He'd mention seeing me at a park I used to go running in. Or he'd say that he knew I went to a specific coffee shop every Sunday morning. One night I came home from work and Lily's nanny said someone had been in the backyard snooping around. It was then I knew I couldn't keep Lily safe on my own. I knew Malfoy would kill her just because she was my daughter, and the fact that she was Melissa's child as well would have only made it sweeter for him. I couldn't have lived with that."

"So that's when you faked your own death," Ginny filled in.

He nodded somberly. "I approached my supervisor who I trusted immensely. I told him everything. About Melissa and I and about how she'd died. The department had never been told the truth about that either. I made sure they didn't because I didn't know who to trust. You have no idea how high up these families were. Some of them were not even pure bloods; they were just overgrown trouble makers looking to stir things up. Anyway, my advisor was the one who told me to go into hiding. I knew that would never be enough so it was my idea to stage my own death. I knew Malfoy would never stop looking unless he thought I was dead. I looked around and found the orphanage in Salt Lake. They specialize in protecting kids who are in danger. I thought it would be okay to let her keep my last name because Potter is a really common last name and I couldn't very well give her Melissa's last name. I never intended for it to come out that she was my daughter."

"How did that happen?"

"Really, I don't know. Like I said, there was no one you could trust. I kept tabs on Lily while she was there the best I could. After I 'died' I went undercover. This is where I didn't tell Ron and Hermione the truth either. I didn't' just lay low and sit around. I know you've never known me to do that."

"That did strike me as odd," she confessed.

"I worked around the globe tracking down people who were causing trouble. I was literally all over. I spent a few years in South America uncovering a group of wizards who were plotting to assassinate all the members of the ministry, including your dad."

"That was you?" Ginny asked, astonished.

"Well, not me alone. But yes I was involved."

"Okay, go back to where we were. You're getting ahead of yourself."

Harry nodded his head on continued where he'd left off about sending Lily to the orphanage. "Right, so once I had the plan all worked out, I didn't think twice about it. I knew what I had to do and I did it. It was almost like she wasn't my daughter anymore. She was just this child I had to protect. I still hadn't held her or really even been in the same room with her unless I had to since Mel was killed. When the day came I had my supervisor take her to the orphanage and we staged the whole death eater attack."

"Did you hold her before he took her away?" Ginny asked tenderly.

"No," he whispered, clearly ashamed. "I remember I dismissed the nanny just an hour before Rick was supposed to be there. Lily was in the living room in her play pen. She never made a sound, she just laid there sucking her thumb and looking around with those big green eyes. It was almost like she knew something was up. When Rick got there, he picked her up and she started bowling her eyes out. I remember her reaching her little arms out to me…and I just…I just couldn't," Harry shook his head and looked away from her before he lost it.

"I think that's enough for tonight," Ginny declared pulling Harry to his feet and over to the bed.

He didn't seem to want to let it go, however. "I abandoned her!"

"You didn't!" Ginny said forcefully.

"But I should have done something then, Gin. I should have held her or comforted her. Thank God she doesn't remember her own father looking at her knowing how scared she was and just telling the strange man holding her to get her out of my sight."

"Harry, you've had a lot of time to think about this. You're rational about it now, and you couldn't have been then. You were on emotional overload-"

He cut her off. "I never told her I loved her after Melissa died. I think a small part of me blamed her for what happened. But it wasn't her fault. She was a helpless little baby and she needed me! Do you know how disgusted I am with what I did? Just at the time I didn't see any alternative!"

"Exactly, you didn't see any alternative," she said sensibly. "We can't dwell on our past decisions. We just have to accept what's happened and move on. Lily knows you loved her then and she knows you love her now.

"Don't you wonder why I didn't come back when she was taken captive just before she started Hogwarts?" He asked daringly. "I told you I was keeping tabs on her."

"Harry, please that's enough" Ginny tried to beg again.

"The reason why I didn't come to help her is that I don't remember anything about that time."

She looked at him wildly, "What…what are you talking about?"

"Everything from a few months before she was taken by Malfoy the first time, to over a year after…I don't remember anything. It's all a blur. I spent years after that in a muggle hospital. I didn't know who I was. I didn't know where I'd come from. It took me years to get back my memory. But that time period is still blank."

"Have you seen healers?" Ginny asked stupidly.

"Several hundred it seems. I've seen muggle doctors too. It was some kind of memory curse. I have a feeling it might have been connected to what happened with Lily in that prison." He sat down heavily the edge of the bed and dropped his elbows to his knees again. "What kind of father am I? She needed me…she's needed me her whole life and I was too busy trotting off over the globe saving everyone else to see it. What could have happened to make me forget all that time? I have to believe that I would have gone to help her if I had known, but I really don't know. That was a really dark time for me, Gin."

She wrapped her arms around him and said forcefully. "I mean it; you've had enough for tonight. You need to get some sleep, Harry. Just let this go for a little while okay? We'll find out what happened to you, I promise. One day you're going to have to tell her about all this. I'm assuming she doesn't know?"

"No, she would have mentioned something to me if she knew anything. That's why Malfoy has such a sick interest in her. And I have a strong feeling that's how he's controlling her dreams and how he's entering her mind during the day. His family has a whole host of old family curses at his disposal."

Ginny agreed. "We need to tell Hermione so she can research this."

"Yeah," Harry nodded.

"But not tonight. You're going to bed," she said, sounding very much like her mother.

_

* * *

_

_Even before Lily opened her eyes she knew exactly where she was. She could feel the cold stone she was sitting on. Her body shivered deeply from the drafty cell she knew she'd see when she opened up her eyes. Her body ached from bruises and cuts she could not see but could definitely feel. She head footsteps approach the cell followed by the rattling of the door as it was unlocked, opened, and then closed. _

_"Wake up, Potter!" a cruel voice instructed her. When she didn't do as she was told a foot collided hard with her side and she groaned in pain. _

"_I SAID WAKE UP!" the voice repeated, reinforcing its point with another painful blow to her side. _

_Lily opened her eyes, and when she did, she felt a sharp pain under her right eye. She could tell it must be black and blue. When she looked up at the intruder she saw none other than Richard Luis standing before her in a posh black suit looking extremely smug. _

_"What are you so bloody happy about?" she asked him with hatred._

_"I've just come from a blessed event," he said, squatting down so that he was at her eye level._

_"Yeah, and what event would that be?" she asked sarcastically. _

_"Your funeral," Luis told her simply with an evil grin on his face. "It was lovely really. Two of your friends stood up and gave pathetic speeches about you. Said how much they'd miss you. I couldn't believe how upset they all were about losing someone as useless as you. Your family sat in the front row. If you can call them your family, but they're really not there family are they?" he added with malice._

_Lily looked away and willed the tears welling in her eyes to go away. She wouldn't let him see that what he was saying what getting to her. "They are my family," she said with certainty._

_"Yes, believe whatever you want. But all you ever brought them was pain and heartache. Truthfully, I did them a favor by taking you off their hands."_

_"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" she screamed as loud as she could, which actually wasn't very loud. _

_"And how can you be so sure of that?" Luis questioned._

_Lily knew she was walking right into his psychological trap but for some reason she couldn't stop herself. "They love me," she told him at a regular tone of voice, but with as much confidence as she could muster._

_"Love is overrated," Luis said as the smile melted off his face, "They may have loved you, but they'll be better off without you. Would you care for me to show you just how better off they're going to be?" After he asked this, an even _more_ evil grin crept up his face._

_"No," she said, trying to scoot away from him, but she couldn't get very far because her hands were tied above her. _

_Luis reached in his back pocket and retrieved his wand while never taking his eyes off her for a second. "You know, I think seeing this might help you accept that your life is over. Perhaps then you'll just give up and make our job a lot easier." _

_Lily remembered this occurrence all to well. She only hoped that Jack wasn't tapping into this dream because she'd never told him about it. I don't understand the previous two sentences…they seem to come out of nowhere. She closed her eyes and tensed her body as she heard Luis utter a spell she couldn't even make out. She found herself in the middle of the grounds at Hogwarts and few hundred feet in front of her was a shady clearing in the trees. She saw someone stood over a grave, and against her better judgment, she walked towards the person that she already knew to be the future Jack Weasley. _

_He looked considerably older. He wore crisp blue jeans and a navy sweater. He stood over the grave and simply looked down at it blankly for several minutes .Then he kneeled down to run his fingers over the words etched into the stone. He spoke a few minutes later in an even tone and his eyes showed no signs of grief or pain. _

_"It's hard to believe that it's been fifteen years since we buried you here. To be quite honest, I never thought I would make it this far without you, but here I am. It's true what they say about pain subsiding over time. When this first happened I thought my life was over, but in reality it was just beginning. I want you to know Lily, that I'm happy. I'm so happy with my life and the way things have turned out. I never thought I'd ever be saying this, but I'm okay without you." Jack paused for a second to look around the grounds of Hogwarts and to play with a blade of grass between his fingers. _

_Lily stood there and couldn't help feeling completely alone. _

_He was okay without her. He didn't need her anymore. _

_That thought should have brought her some kind of relief, but the only thing it brought was pain and emptiness. _

_Jack turned back to the grave and spoke again, drilling more daggers into her heart with every word. _

_"Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if you had come back alive from that mission. I don't know if we would have made it or not to tell you the truth. There are a lot of things that I'm uncertain about. Sometime when we were together it felt like we could never be closer, and at other times I knew you were something holding back and it put miles between us. I know that I loved you then. But there are times when I have to really think hard to remember what you looked like. The way you laughed. The way it felt to hold you in my arms. It all seems like it belonged to another person or another lifetime. You brought me so much and for a long time I felt like I owed it to you to come here all the time. But now I know that's not what you would have wanted. So this is my last trip. I need to close this chapter of my life once and for all. I've got a wife at home who I love with all my heart, and three kids who I know I'd die for. I've got to stop living in the past and wondering what would have happened if things had been different. Goodbye Lily." _

_With that Jack stood up, pressed his fingertips to his lips, then brushed them against the top of the stone grave marker, and walked away. Lily stood there and watched him walk back to the castle briskly and with a slight spring in his step. She knew he really was happy, and as that realization hit home, she slowly sank to her knees and stared off into space deep in thought. _

_She always wondered if this was all an illusion, and perhaps Luis was really in control of what she was seeing. Maybe Jack wouldn't have been this happy without her. The mere thought if him with someone else made her sick. But she also knew deep down that she would sacrifice her own happiness for his. Just as she was letting go of her pent up emotions, she felt herself being pulled back into the cell and then slammed against something rough and hard which she later discovered to be the ground. _

_"Do you get it now, Potter? Do you finally understand that he's better off without you?" Luis screamed as he took out his wand and pointing it at her throat. "YOU'RE WORTHLESS, POTTER! YOU ALWAYS HAVE BEEN! YOU AND YOUR FATHER BEFORE YOU AND HIS FATHER BEFORE HIM!"_

_"You're the one who's worthless, Luis! You may think you've won. You can kill me for all I care, but so help me God you are never going to win! I will fight 'til my very last breath if that's what it takes!" Lily found herself saying. She paid dearly for her outburst in more ways then one. Luis pulled his hand back and in seconds brought it down on her face leaving red streaks across her face. He then stood up and Lily groaned as she remembered what happened next. He held his wand out in front of him and pointed it down at her._

_"CRUCIO!" _

Jack felt himself being throw out of the dream he had just been observings and looked over to see the woman he loved laying completely still with tears running down her face. He reached over to her and rolled her onto his chest, caressing her back gently trying to coax her out of the dream he knew she was having.

"Lily, open your eyes," he told her, kissing her forehead as he felt the all too familiar feeling of her tears falling down on his shirt. "Come on baby, come back to me." He felt her reach her hand over and grip the front of his shirt, and he knew she was awake. She fisted some of the material of his shirt and took several breaths trying to calm herself down. He cupped the side of her neck and felt her wince as she touched her skin. Pulling his hand back he looked at his palm and found it bloody.

"Look at me," he instructed as he pulled back to get a better look at her. There was a deep cut along her jaw line and her face was all bruised up. "Oh my God!" He muttered sitting up and gently rolling her onto her back, "Are you hurting anywhere else?"

She nodded her head. "It hurts to breathe," she said, having to close her eyes in pain as she did so.

He lifted up her shirt to reveal a deeply bruised ribcage. "I think you've got some broken ribs, love." He said pulling her shirt back down and brushing some hair out of her face. "I'm gonna have to go get Mum. I'll be right back. Don't move."

"I'm not going anywhere," she joked, offering a labored smile.

"That's my girl," he said, kissing her forehead before leaving the room. He walked as quickly and quietly as he could out the door and to his parent's room. He opened the door and found the room was completely dark and silent except for his father's snores. He walked over to his mother's side of the bed and gently shook her shoulder.

"Jack," his mother said groggily, sitting up to look at him.

"It's Lily," he told her. She needed no further explanation, and she shot out of bed and down the hall to the aid of her son's fiancé. Jack followed her and when the reentered his bedroom, Lily was staring at the ceiling with her eyes closed, fighting waves of pain.

Hermione looked at Jack. "You didn't say it was this bad," she said, walking gingerly to Lily's side and sitting on the edge of the bed. Lily looked over at her and smiled.

"We have to stop meeting like this, Aunt Hermione," she said as Hermione began to check her over.

"Yes, I suppose. Lily, do you want me to ask Jack to leave the room? I have to examine you," Hermione said, looking over at Jack who opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Lily's response.

"No, he can stay," she said, looking over at him and beckoning him forward by holding out her hand to him. Jack walked over to the bed and sat down next to her, taking her hand and kissing the back of it lovingly.

Fifteen minutes later Hermione stood to leave the room. She had been able to give Lily something strong for pain, but she was unsuccessful in healing her any further. The only comfort was that at least she wasn't suffering because of her injuries. Jack stood up and walked his mother to the door where she spoke to him in a hushed voice.

"Just watch her for me for the rest of the night, and if the pain comes back give her more potion. It would probably be best if you stay up in case she has another dream. I don't want her hurt anymore tonight because I'm not sure she can take anymore after what's just happened."

"I'll take care of her," he said, looking back at Lily, who was in clean night cloths and on clean sheets now that the bloody ones had been changed.

"I know you will. Someone will have to tell Harry about this in the morning."

"I'll talk to him. We have some other things we need to talk about," Jack spoke, never taking his eyes off Lily. He planned on telling Harry how he and been able to tap into her last two dreams and had seen exactly what had gone on.

"Goodnight," Hermione said, kissing him on the cheek and walking back down the hall.

Once she was gone, Jack closed the door behind her and got back into bed. He wanted nothing more than to take Lily in his arms, but he was afraid of hurting her any more. Instead, he brushed strands of hair out of her face and spoke calmly. "I love you. You know that right? What you saw in that dream wasn't real. I would never have married or even dated anyone else if you really had been dead."

"Why not?"

"Because I think you can only give your heart to one person. I gave mine to you a long time ago."

"Jack, I really would have wanted you to be happy," she said as tears of shame appeared in her eyes. "But I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear you say that. If makes me such a horrible person, but I don't care."

"You're not horrible. I'm pretty sure I'd feel the same way if things were reversed. Just promise me that whatever happens from here, you won't believe anything else they show you or tell you. Don't let him manipulate you like that."

"I promise," she said, moving into his arms and resting her head on his chest. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it before, but to be honest I totally forgot about it after all that's happened since then."

"It's okay. I know now and that's all that matters. But I do know one thing for sure, I'm taking down Luis if it's the last thing I do."

She took a cleansing breath, but didn't appear to be in any pain. "I'd like to say I'll be right beside you but I may just let you handle that one on your own. I'm not sure if I ever want to see him again."

"That's good that you don't want to be there. A lady shouldn't have to see the things I want to do to that man," he said, involuntarily clenching his fists.

"My knight in shining armor," she teased, poking him in the side. "Here to save me again?"

He grinned, but tried to keep from laughing because he was afraid it might hurt her. "Yes, I'm here to save you! Now shut it and go to sleep!"

"I love you," she said, sounding far away.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said mockingly, "I love you too, Potter."

* * *

The next morning Jack came down the stairs alone to find his father, Harry, and Dennis sitting in the living room. His mother and aunt were mysteriously missing, again. It was about ten o'clock, and he had left Lily sleeping soundly.

"Morning," Jack said, coming into the room and sitting next to Harry.

"Are you hungry Jack? I could whip you up something," Ron asked his son.

"No thank you, Dad," Jack said politely. "What are you doing here Dennis?"

"I just wanted to see how Lily was doing," Dennis said sheepishly.

"She's fine no thanks to you," Jack said with words as cold as his facial expression.

"We went and got Devon's body. He's being buried in America where his parents are buried."

Jack's face remained emotionless. "That's nice but it's more than he deserves."

"Jack, I never intended to become your enemy because of all this," Dennis said, looking hurt.

"You aren't my enemy, or not yet at least. It's just not that easy for me to trust someone in your position after what happened the last time. Are we any closer to finding where Malfoy is?" Jack asked, looking less upset.

"Unfortunately, no we're not. But I'll be the first to let you know when we are," Dennis said, standing up and nodding towards Harry and Ron as well as Jack. "I really should be going though. They're expecting me back at the ministry. I'll see you and Lily for training next week."

"Sure, thanks Dennis," Jack shook the man's hand before he disappeared with a CRACK.

"Is Lily still asleep?" Ron asked Jack once Dennis was gone.

"Yeah, she's pretty tired," Jack told him. "Can I talk to you for a second, Harry?"

"Sure," Harry said quickly motioning toward the back door and leading the way into the back yard so they could have some privacy. He and Ron exchanged a look and nod before Ron went back up the stairs on out of sight. Once outside, they took a short walk over to one of the many trees in the surrounding area and sat down in the snow. "What's up, Jack?"

Jack didn't hesitate before launching into the reason for their little discussion. "I told you when you came to visit us after training yesterday Lily had had another dream the night before. Do you remember?"

"Yeah, what's that got to do with now?" Harry asked, looking intrigued.

"I told you she had the dream, but what I didn't tell you was that I saw the dream as well. I was there, with her, in Malfoy's cell, and I saw and heard everything. She had another dream last night and the same thing happened again. I was there, but she couldn't see me or hear me if I try to speak to her."

Harry looked away from Jack, in deep thought. "What did you see?"  
"The first time it was just Malfoy, beating her up and just being his usual sunny self. Last night it was Luis. He cast this spell on her which transported her to her own gravesite where she saw some future version of me telling her I was happy without her and that I wasn't coming to visit her grave anymore because I had a wife and children who needed me and I didn't want to live in the past," Jack said this all while looking completely disgusted.

"He was just trying to break her down emotionally," Harry told him, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm sure she knows it wasn't true."

"We talked about it last night," Jack said, nodding. "It just infuriates me to see her controlled like that."

"I know what you mean. Unfortunately, I don't think we can do much about it until we catch them, which doesn't look like its going to be happening any time soon. At least in the mean time she has someone who she can really talk to about these dreams, someone she who has seen them and knows what they're like on some level."

"Yeah. I guess I should go check on her. She was pretty bruised up last night but Mum gave her something for pain. She'll probably need to take some more when she gets up." Jack stood up and looked down at Harry who remained seated.

"Tell her I want her to stay in bed today, alright?" Harry instructed as Jack started to walk away.

"I will," Jack replied, smiling over his shoulder. "She's not going to like it but I'll make her stay put. She's really excited to go the Burrow tomorrow so there is no way we'll be able to keep her home from that," he added. Harry nodded his understanding, thought he really had no intention of keeping Lily home from his wedding even if no one knew anything about it yet.

Jack cantered back into the house and found his brother Andrew eating breakfast with his dad. "I'm gonna go check on Lil." He told them as he grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table.

"Did something happen?" Andrew asked, looking concerned and setting down his fork.

"Ummmm," Jack stuttered looking at his dad for help. Ron, however, looked completely puzzled so he tried to be as vague as possible. "She's just not feeling well."

"Is that all?" Andrew asked knowingly. Before Jack could think of something to say an owl flew through the window (that opened magically) and soared over to Jack, who removed a letter bearing the ministry seal. He read the short letter quickly and then looked at his father with a pale expression.

"The Dark Mark's been sighted," he told him, passing Ron the note and taking a seat.

"Where?" Ron said frantically looking over the note.

"Some house near Lily's orphanage. According to that letter, whoever did it left a note saying these things would continue until someone hands over Lily to them."

"That's ridiculous!" Ron said, taking the note from his wife.

Jack's face turned from one of confusion to one of utter determination. "I don't care how ridiculous it is…I don't want Lily to know about this for a little while. She doesn't need to worry about this, on top of everything else. Luckily they got there in enough time so they could be able to keep it out of the press."

"Jack, are you sure? She's going to be very upset when she finds out we kept this from her," Ron said worriedly.

Jack didn't waver. "She may be mad when she finds out. But hopefully by then we'll know who we're dealing with here. I don't want her running out trying to play the hero and getting herself killed. You all know just as well as I do that is exactly what she'd do."

"I guess you've got a point," Ron admitted.

"I already lost her once before and nearly lost her again yesterday. I won't let it happen again. If keeping this from her is the only way to keep her safe that I'm willing to take that risk.

"Someone please tell Harry. He has to know about this. Tell him what I've told you about telling Lily. I have a feeling he'll agree with me."

With that Jack took the letter, put it in the fire in the living room and returned to his room, hoping to find Lily peacefully sleeping like he'd left her.


	9. Chapter Nine: Trickery

Chapter Nine: Trickery

The sun climbed up the Weasley's house on Saturday morning, first touching the wooden handrail of the steps on the front porch, before advancing into the front living area and bathing it in an orange glow. Several minutes later the sun's rays met the eyes of Harry Potter, who happened to already be awake.

"I'm getting married today," he said softly, to no one but himself. His fiancé had spent the night with her parents, claiming to her brother and sister in law that she needed to help her mother prepare for the family gathering that was to take place later on today.

Deciding he might as well get up and go downstairs, Harry stood up from the bed, grabbed his dressing robe, and put it around his shoulders as he opened his bedroom door and advanced down the hallway. It was still very early in the morning, so everyone appeared to still be in bed.

Ron and Hermione's door was closed, and he could just faintly make up the snores his best friend was omitting from behind the wooden frame.

He smiled. _Some things never change_, he thought to himself as he made his way down the stairs.

It wasn't until he entered the family room that he realized he wasn't the only member of the household who was awake on this lazy Saturday morning. There on the sofa was his one and only daughter, her legs tucked underneath her body. She turned and looked over the back of the couch, through the window, and into the backyard. The sun outside was a very deceiving entity, for there was still several inches of snow on the ground. Lily Potter seemed to be transfixed by the winter wonderland outside the window, because she didn't even hear her father approaching.

"Hey there, kiddo," Harry said, finally drawing her attention.

Lily looked up and gave him a gracious smile. "Good morning, Daddy."

He walked over to her, kissed her on the forehead before he took a seat next to her on the couch. "Good morning, sweetheart. Where's Jack?"

"Oh, he's still in bed. I've been down here for a while," she admitted nonchalantly.

"Why is that?"

"Couldn't sleep," she explained.

"You didn't have a dream, did you?" he asked, growing worried.

She shook her head and looked away. "No, Dad, I had a dream the night before last. I um….never went to bed last night," she informed him, looking mildly ashamed.

"Lily Elizabeth Potter!" he lightly reprimanded, "You can't avoid dreams by simply not sleeping. It's not healthy. You need to rest!"

"I know, but Jack was up with me half the night last night after I had that dream. I know he never went back to sleep after he finally got me calmed down."

Harry sighed heavily, "Please, don't make this about burdening Jack again."

"No, it's not about Jack really. Dad, they scare me. I feel like I've lost control over my own life. I feel helpless," she said, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration.

Harry pulled his daughter into his arms and held her tightly. "You're not helpless. You just need to learn how to _let_ other people help you."

"Tell me that it's all going to be okay," she pleaded desperately. "Tell me that Jack and I are going to be alright and that we're going to get married and grow old together make each other happy for the rest of our lives."

He kissed her forehead lightly. "Let me tell you a story," he began. "Once upon a time there was a prince and his very best friend. Now these two children were friends for years until the boy realizes that he's in love with his best friend. Lucky for him, the girl feels the same about the prince and they allow themselves to fall in love. In the meantime, the girl's father is out there somewhere, worrying his little head off about his baby girl. He wonders if she's alright if she's happy and safe and loved. When the father finally sees his daughter again, he's immediately relieved because he knows the prince has taken good care of her, and loved her more with every passing moment. The father now can let go of his fitful burden because he knows the prince will always take care of her, even when she doesn't want him to. And although the he knows his daughter still has struggles ahead of her, he also knows the prince will never leave her side. He'll always been there to help her through it. And do you know what the very best part of the story is?"

Lily shook her head. "No, what's the best part?"

"The girl loves the prince just as much as he loves her. She knows she couldn't' go on without him."

"That's cute, Dad. Sounds like a regular bedtime fairy tale," she said, smiling as she pulled away from his arms to look over at him.

"It will be if you let it, love," he said as he stood up and walked into the kitchen. He poured a glass of orange juice for her and walked over to Ron and Hermione's potions cabinet. After finding the potion he was looking for, and pouring some of it into the juice, he shut the cabinet door and returned to the living room.

"Here, drink this," he said, handing her the glass and watching her take several sips. It took several seconds before he could see any of the effects of the potion.

"This has a sleeping potion in it, doesn't it?" she said, looking down at the glass which was still half full.

"Only a mild one," he confirmed. "You'll be up in time to get ready to go to the Burrow with us later."

Lily shook her head, clearly trying to shake the potions influence out of her. "But Dad, what if I…"

"If you have a dream, Jack will be right there. Let him help you, Lily. You promised me you would try," he instructed. He watched her lean back onto the back of the sofa, but she continued fighting to keep her eyes open as she gazed off into the distance. He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms once more rubbing her back, soothing her into sleep. "This potion is very mild, and it wouldn't work if you really didn't need rest. Don't fight it. Close your eyes. That's it. Everything is going to be alright."

Once her breathing regulated and she remained still for a few minutes, Harry gathered her up in his arms and walked up the stairs. Once he reached Jack's bedroom door, he tapped on the wood lightly with his foot hoping that would be enough to wake him up. Sure enough seconds later a very groggy Jack Weasley opened the door racking a hand through his hair and looking slightly confused to see his girlfriend asleep in her father's arms.

"Missing something?" Harry asked, nodding down at Lily.

"I wondered when I woke up and she wasn't here," Jack said, standing aside so Harry could enter.

"I had to give her a mild sleeping potion. She never came to bed last night," Harry told him as he laid her down on the bed and tucked the covers under her chin.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Jack apologized. "I must have been more tired than I thought otherwise I would have noticed.

Harry waved his hand dismissively. "It's not your fault that she's stubborn. She should sleep for a few hours. I told her you'd be there for her if she has a dream."

"I will be," Jack assured him.

"Thank you," Harry said as he patted him on the back and left the room.

Once he was gone, Jack looked over at his sleeping fiancé buried beneath the mountain of blankets. Letting go of the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, he walked over to the bed and got underneath the covers. Even though she had ample covers on top of her, he felt her shiver beside him. He pulled her into his arms to share the warmth of his body.

"Jack," he heard her mumble, almost incoherently as she let her arm fall across his stomach.

"I'm right here," he told her. "I'm right here." He brushed the hair off her forehead, and breathed a sigh of relief when her breathing regulated and she fell back into a hopefully dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Mum, are you sure the florist placed the flowers outside properly?" Ginny Weasley asked her mother frantically as she made her way around the house, checking on this and that.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head at her daughter. "Yes, Ginny dear. Everything is all set up. The cloaking spells are in place so that no one will see the decorations until you're ready. But if you don't sit down and breathe for just a minute, I'm going to grow angry."

"I'm just nervous, Mum," Ginny assured her.

They both took a seat at the kitchen table.

"This is what you want, Ginny? You're happy?" Molly asked hopefully, taking her hand.

A silly grin graced Ginny's face. "Yes, this is exactly what I want. This is what I've always wanted. He makes me very happy, and we're going to make a wonderful life together."

"Has Harry told Lily about the wedding today?" Molly wondered.

"No, we haven't told anyone other than you and Dad and Hermione. I just hope she doesn't think I'm trying to take her mother's place. I would never try to do that."

"That poor thing," Molly said shaking her head. "She's been through so much. Every time she came here with your brother she was always so polite. Just like her father. I just wished there was more I could have done for her."

"Well, she'll be your official granddaughter once she and Jack get married anyway," Ginny reminded her.

"Yes, that's right," Molly said happily. "Have they set a date?"

"They want to do it over Easter holiday at Hogwarts," Ginny informed her. "Harry and I are going to ask them to stand up for us in the ceremony along with Ron and 'Mione."

"That will be nice, dear. Now, why don't I go check on the food while you go upstairs and start getting ready? Take a nice long bath and relax a bit. It is your wedding day after all."

Ginny nodded, kissed her mother on the cheek, and walked up the many crooked staircases to the bathroom. No matter how long she was away from the Burrow, it always felt like home. It still smelled the same as it did when she was a little girl. She remembered falling down these stairs when she was eight after Ron pushed her from behind a little too hard. She also remembered the look of guilt on his face as he helped her stand up once she reached the bottom. This house was all ways filled with noise when she was growing up. Even though no one lived here besides her parents and a few house cats, the walls still seemed to hold some of the laughter from years past.

Walking into the bathroom and shutting the door, Ginny looked around her once more. She remembered running up here one specific evening towards the war. Ron, Hermione, and Harry had been gone searching and fighting for over a year and a half. They hadn't gotten to attend her graduation from Hogwarts and they'd missed family weddings…and birthdays…and holidays. No matter how joyous the occasion was on the outside, it was always bitter sweet because they weren't there. They had left just after Bill's wedding the summer after their sixth year in school.

On the particular night Ginny was recalling no one had heard from them in almost two months. None of their letters arrived in regular intervals, but they always tried to write whenever they could.

The time Ginny was thinking of was a beautiful winter's day a few weeks before Christmas and no one knew if Ron, Hermione, and Harry were alive, dead, hurt, or hungry. Her parents were sick with worry. All her older brothers were off fighting or helping the war effort in some way, but at least they did get to see more of them a lot more than the other three. Percy was the only exception, who would never rejoin his family despite all his mother's pleads. Bill's wife Fleur had decided to stay at home with her family in France while her husband was away. Charlie's wife Danielle was staying at the Burrow along with their two small children. She'd been there since death eaters attacked her and Charlie's home in Romania six months before. Fred and George weren't married yet, but their girlfriends Kara and Jackie were staying at the Burrow with them as well. Tonks, who had married Remus Lupin in a surprising ceremony just after Bill married Fleur, was at the Burrow along with their son Jacob, and Tonks had just learned was expecting again.

Standing in bathroom, the memories of that night all came rushing back. She remembered running up here after reading an article in the newspaper about Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The article talked about their apparent "disappearance" from society, and claimed that they must have either been killed or captured. Ginny remembered coming in here and turning on the shower so no one could hear her cry.

A few months later the war ended, and she couldn't get over how different Harry was when he came home. Ron and Hermione seemed different as well. The bond between the three of them was stronger than ever, but the things they had seen and done together had changed them forever. Ron and Hermione healed by leaning on each other, but Harry was a different story.

She and Harry started dating again for a while. But it always seemed that just when she was getting through his defensive walls, he would close off again. It was almost like he was afraid to let anyone in, like he didn't think he was worth it. Knowing Harry, that assumption was probably correct. It wasn't long after that when Harry started being gone all the time again. That was the end of the road for them, or so she thought.

Smiling to herself, Ginny thought about Harry now. He was different; he'd changed again that was for sure. Perhaps it was fatherhood, or growing up, or simply separation. But he was Harry again. The Harry she'd fallen in love with years ago. The Harry that had kept her awake countless nights while she was away working in America. Merlin help her, she loved him more than she had all those years ago. Much, much more.

* * *

"Come on, baby. Open your eyes," Jack coached, trying to get his fiancé to wake up. She had been asleep for a few hours. He'd just gotten out the shower and it was time for her to get up and get ready. "Lily, time to get up."

Finally, she opened her eyes and squinted in the bright light coming in through the window. She gave him an evil look and covered her face with a pillow.

"There's my girl," Jack joked as he pulled the pillow away from her and kissed her forehead. "Always bright and cheery in the morning."

"How did I get up here?" she asked, sounding groggy.

"Your dad carried you," he reminded her. "You didn't sleep last night so he gave you a sleeping potion to make you rest for a few hours."

"Oh right, remind me to thank him for that later," she said sitting up. She stretched her arms out and made a small squealing noise. For the first time since Christmas she looked rested. Jack couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Why don't you go take a shower? We've got to leave in a little bit."

"Alright," she said, kissing him quickly on the lips, "Be right back."

* * *

Almost an hour later, Jack, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all waiting in the living room for Lily to come join them so they could leave. They'd sent the younger boys on their way just seconds before. Jack thought Harry looked nervous, for some reason. He kept fumbling with something in his pocket and running his hand through his hair. 

"It is just a family party, right Harry?" Jack asked innocently.

"Yeah, ummm…why don't you go check on that girl of yours?" Harry suggested, and if possible looking more nervous.

"Sure, godfather," Jack smirked as he bounded up the stairs. "Lily!" He called walking to his room and knocking on the door. "Are you decent?"

"Do you care?" A sly voice responded from the other side of the door.

Jack grinned and opened the door. "No, really I don't."

Lily walked out from his bathroom wearing a light green dress that ended at about her knees and black high heels. The dress was tastefully cut into a v-neck, the sleeves where white as well as the empire waist. Her hair was as curly and wavy as ever, flowing like the sea to the middle of her back. She was also wearing the necklace he had given her for her birthday and her mother's bracelet. She looked absolutely amazing.

Lily seemed to have noticed he was staring at her. "Jack?" she called, trying to get his attention.

Jack did nothing but stand there in spite of his best efforts to respond. _Oh man. Okay words, Jack. This is simple. Come on you've used them before. But how do you form them again?_

"Are you okay?" she asked, coming closer and touching his arm gently.

He couldn't help himself; he cupped the side of her face with his palm and brought her lips to his. The kiss was completely innocent, and lasting only a lingering second, but it seemed to get his point across. He smiled to see her cheeks blush scarlet when he pulled away.

"Well, I see you like the dress," she said, giggling. This in and of itself was strange. Lily never giggled.

"Maybe I'll show you just how much I like it later tonight when we come home," he growled in her ear.

Lily raised an eyebrow but gave no reply to his implication besides nodding her head. "Okay, just let me grab my sweater," she said walking back to the closet. This was when Jack noticed the scars on her chest weren't there.

"Lil, what happened to the scars? I can't see them?"

She returned with a white sweater draped over her arm. They were arriving by floo so there was no reason to wear a heavy cloak. "It's just a simple spell," she told him as he followed her out the door and towards the stairs. "I don't usually bother with it, but since they're will be a lot of kids I decided I'd better do it to avoid questions."

"I love you," he told her, taking her hand.

"I love you too," she whispered in his ear. By that time they were in the living room.

"There you are," Hermione said anxiously. "Lily, you look wonderful. I love that color on you."

"Thanks, Aunt Hermione," Lily said, blushing again.

Everyone else was dressed nicely as well. Hermione had a periwinkle dress on; Ron and Harry were both wearing nice pants and button down shirts.

"Shall we?" Ron said, motioning to the fireplace.

Lily stepped in first after grabbing some floo powder. "The Burrow!" she said clearly before she was engulfed in flames. Ron and Jack followed her, leaving Harry and Hermione behind. She couldn't pass up the chance of giving her best friend a big hug.

"Oh, Harry! I'm so happy for you!" she said once she released him. "You've always been the closest thing I've ever had to a brother."

Hermione's parents had been killed during the heavy fighting towards the end of the war, and she had no family left.

"You are my sister, 'Mione. Biological or not," Harry told her, kissing her on the forehead. "Thanks, you know…for everything."

"It's my pleasure," she said with distinct signs of tears forming in her eyes. "Let's go get you married. Are you going to let everyone mingle for a little while before you announce it?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah, I want to take Lily aside and talk to her. She should hear this from me."

"That's probably a good idea."

"After you Mrs. Weasley," he said, sweeping his hand toward the fireplace. Once she was gone, Harry stood there and took a couple deep breaths. His life was about to change forever.

"Jack!" Molly Weasley exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around her grandson. "How are you dear?"

"I'm fine, Grandma," he said returning her hug.

"Are you taking care of Lily here?" Mrs. Weasley asked sternly as she caught glimpse of Lily standing a few feet behind them.

"Yes, I am. Not letting her out of my sight," Jack assured her, pulling Lily to his side and wrapping a protective arm around her waist.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," Lily said politely.

"Now dear, how many times must I ask you to call me Molly?" Mrs. Weasley asked with her hands on her hips.

"Always once more," Lily said, smiling shyly.

"Jack, do you think you can let her go just long enough for me to give her a hug?" Mrs. Weasley asked, holding out her arms.

"I guess so," Jack said releasing her reluctantly. Lily walked timidly into Mrs. Weasley's arms, who embraced her as she would one of her own. Jack was so thankful that his family always treated Lily as if she were biologically related to them. He knew how much that meant to her. After they bid his grandmother goodbye for the time, they advanced into the rest of the living room. The room had to be magically expanded to accommodate all the family members, and even still there were people everywhere. The next to great them was Remus Lupin.

"How's it going, Jack?" Remus asked, shaking his hand.

"It's going good, Remus," Jack answered with a smile. "Where is Tonks?"

"She couldn't make it tonight. A good friend of hers is very ill and she's helping her husband tend to their small kids. Most of ours are grown now," Remus added somewhat sadly. He then turned to Lily. "How are you holding up, Lily?"

Lily looked up at Jack who nodded his head silently urging her to tell the old friend of the family the truth. "Things could be better," she admitted soberly.

"I know it's been tough, kiddo," Remus said as he affectionately pulled her into his arms and gave her a reassuring hug. "Maybe its time to turn it in at the ministry," he suggested.

"I know but it just doesn't seem like the best time. There is so much going on," Lily reminded him.

"There is never going to be a right time," Remus said wisely. "But sometimes you just need to forget about that and do something for yourself for once."

Suddenly a familiar voice behind them spoke up. "I've told them the same thing," Harry said wearily.

"Daddy," Lily said, blushing as he put and arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

"How are you Remus?" Harry asked, smiling at his former professor.

"I'm doing great Harry," Remus said. "I can't believe how much you look like your father now that you're a grown man."

"That's one of the best compliments anyone could give me. How are the kids?"

"Oh, they're growing up. The boys Michael and Jacob are seventeen and seventeen and the girls Crystal, Veronica, and Monica are thirteen, fifteen, and eighteen," Remus responded.

"They're in school in America, right?" Jack wondered seeing as how he had never gone to school with any of them.

"Yes," Remus confirmed. "Tonks and I moved there just before Jake started school. I've been teaching at the Salem Institute ever since."

"I'm sorry you couldn't stay at Hogwarts, Remus," Harry said guiltily.

"Oh don't be. I love where I'm at," Remus assured him.

Harry nodded and then looked over at Jack. "Would you mind terribly if I stole your fiancé for a little while?"

"No, I don't mind," Jack said, shaking his head. "Just as long as I get her back."

"I think I can manage to bring her back to you in one piece," Harry reassured. "I need to talk to you about something," he said, leading Lily way from the crowds of excited relatives. When the approached the back door and Harry made to open it, she hesitated however.

"Dad, I didn't bring a cloak with me," she told him. She was right, she stood there in her green dress and white button down sweater which was hanging down unbuttoned to show off the front of the dress.

"I think we'll be okay," he said, pulling the door open and leading her outside. The air around them was pleasantly warm in stark contrast to the snow that lay on the ground.

"Dad, what's going on?" She asked looking around.

Harry took his daughters hands in his own and looked at her seriously. "Lily, this gathering is more than just a gathering."

She laughed at his nervous statue. "Well, then what is it?"

"Ginny and I have decided to get married. Tonight….we wanted it to be a surprise," he told her calmly watching her face to gage her reaction.

Lily looked stunned to say the least. "I see," she said letting go of his hands and walking over to sit down in one of the patio chairs with a somewhat dazed expression on her face.

Harry took this as a bad sign and ran over to sit kneel in front of her. "Lily, we didn't tell you because we didn't want anyone to know. We just wanted something small and intimate. We didn't want the press to get wind of it and turn it into some big newsworthy event."

"So that's where Aunt Hermione and Ginny have been all week?" She asked putting the pieces together. "And you too. You guys have been off planning this?"

He nodded, "Yes, honey. The only people who knew about today were Hermione and Ginny and I as well as Ginny's parents. But I wanted to tell you before I announced it to everyone else-"

Lily cut him off from going any further by smiling and shaking her head. "Its okay, Dad, I understand. I think it's wonderful."

"I don't want you to think this means I love your mum any less," Harry said quickly.

For a second, Lily tilted her head heavenward as if to receive some kind of confirmation that she was allowed to say what she was about to tell him. When she returned her gaze to his she shook her head, "Dad, you never loved mom like you love Ginny. Even you can't convince me of that. I know you loved her, but not like you love Ginny."

He nodded his head looking at the ground beneath his feet. "Yes, you're right. But she was still your mother, Lil," he added, looking at her again.

She looked down at her hands in her lap. "I never knew her," she said sadly, looking up at him after a few seconds. "She will always be the woman who gave birth to me. I know she must have loved you very much. I can assume that she loved me, but she wasn't really my mother. She couldn't have been. A mother is someone who is there for you when you need them. Someone who talks to you and helps you with your problems. Someone who holds you when you cry and tells you everything is going to be okay when you're scared. She was never that person for me. I know it wasn't her fault, and it wasn't your fault either. Am I making any sense?"

"Yes, it makes perfect sense," he told her, despite his tears. "But it's still terrible. I feel like I've denied you a mother."

This time it was Lily who grasped his hands in hers. "Dad, did you kill my mother? I mean really, did you say the curse that took her life?"

"No," Harry said, looking her in the eyes.

"Did you ask for it to happen?" she pressed further.

"No," Harry said again.

"Alright then, it was not your fault. I may have never had a mother, but I think I turned out okay, don't you?"

"You're perfect," he said honestly, brushing the tears off her cheek.

"Some things just aren't meant to be. But I know you and Ginny are meant to be together. If she makes you happy then I'm happy."

"I love you, Lily. I love you more than you will ever know," Harry told her, embracing her tightly.

"I love you too. Now why don't we go inside and make everyone's day?"

"You read my mind," he said standing the both of them up and walking back inside. Once they were in the kitchen, he picked up a glass and tapped the side of it with his wand. "I would like to have everyone's attention!" The whole house fell in a hush and everyone turned to look at Harry expectantly. "I would first like to thank everyone for coming. This is a very special day for me. I haven't seen many of you since the war ended and I just wanted to say how wonderful it is that we can all be here under the same roof once more."

"Here, here!" the audience said merrily as they all held up their glasses and took a sip.

Harry nodded his hand and did the same. "But before we get too far into the party there is something that Ginny and I would like to do," he said mischievously. Everyone looked around for Ginny, though she was no where in sight. "If you would all take a walk out to the tent which will appear in the back yard in a matter of seconds, I will explain in a few moments. And will my daughter, Jack, Hermione, and Ron please stay behind."

Everyone exchanged confused looks but made their way to the back door. As they passed Harry many asked what was going on, but the only response they got was a wave of his hand and a smile. Ginny's brothers all looked at Harry with serious expressions, but they all went outside as they were told. Lily looked out the window over the kitchen sink and saw a large white tent off in the distance. Had that been there a few minutes ago?

Jack walked over to her with a strange expression, his father close behind. "Okay," Jack said, putting his hands in his trouser pockets. "What's going on?"

Lily looked up at her father, who nodded his head indicating that she could let the cat out of the bag. "Ginny and Dad are getting married!" she squealed excitedly.

"What!" Ron and Jack exclaimed identically.

"Shut your mouth, Ronald or you're going to catch flies in it," Harry joked. Hermione seemed completely calm next to her husband, which didn't go unnoticed by him in the slightest.

"You knew about this, didn't you!" Ron accused.

"It's not her fault, mate," Harry defended. "Gin insisted on telling her so she could help pick out things for the ceremony."

"I knew something was up!" Ron said, pointing at all of them suspiciously.

"Don't look at me," Jack said defensively. "I had no idea."

"Neither did I," Lily piped in, holding up a hand in declaration.

"Ginny and I would like you and Jack to stand up with Ron and Hermione during the ceremony," Harry said looking at her.

"We'd love to," Jack spoke for the both of them.

"She's ready, Harry," a voice said from the stairway. They all knew it to belong to Mrs. Weasley. Sure enough, Molly came 'round the corner seconds later with a big characteristic smile on her face.

"Okay then," Harry said rubbing his hands together. "This is it. I'm going to go out there and clue everyone in. Jack, give us a few minutes before you escort your grandmother in."

"Got it," Jack said as Harry took off out the back door.

"Where's Dad?" Ron asked.

"With your sister, of course," Molly said, shaking her head. "Lily and Hermione…Why don't you both go on up and be with Ginny for a minutes. Wait a little while to give us enough time to get everyone calmed down before you come down."

"Alright," they both chimed happily, walking up the stairs and out of sight.

A/N- I guess you guys will just have to send me loads of reviews if you want to find out how the wedding goes! I'm kidding, the next chapter will be up when my beta gets it back to me! Though the reviews may help things! Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter Ten: Hello Tomorrow

Chapter Ten: Hello Tomorrow

"I can't believe my baby girl is getting married," Mr. Weasley said, admiring Ginny in her modest white wedding dress. It was an A-line dress made of a satin material. Simple and elegant, just like she was. He was thoroughly convinced he'd never seen her look happier.

"Oh Dad, I'm not a baby anymore," she said, blushing and self-consciously fixing her hair, which was half up and curled. The curls stopped just below her shoulders.

"You'll always be my little girl. No matter how old you are."

"Thank you. You and Mum were always there for me when I needed you. I know how lucky I was to have that," Ginny said with tears of joy in her eyes.

"That's not going to change just because you're going to be married," he reminded her. A small smile was the only reply Ginny had time to give, because at that exact moment there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Ginny told the knocker.

"Oh Ginny, you look absolutely gorgeous," Hermione squealed, coming into the room.

Ginny looked down at herself awkwardly. "Really, you think Harry will like it?" she wondered, examining her dress carefully.

"He'll love it," a new voice assured.

Ginny looked up in into the eyes of Lily Potter. Of all the people attending this surprise wedding, Lily was the one person whose reaction really mattered to Ginny. She desperately wanted them to get along.

"Dad's going to go nuts," Lily proclaimed, stepping forward and looking somewhat uncomfortable with the sudden silence.

"You look lovely," Ginny said honestly.

Lily looked down at her own dress and frowned slightly. "Thank you, I would have dressed differently if I had known this was going to be a wedding but-"

"What you have on is perfect," Ginny said, walking over to the teenager and taking both her hands. She then turned back to her father and Hermione. "Would you both mind giving us a moment?"

"Not at all," Hermione spoke for the both of them. "We'll be waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Don't take too long, now. Harry won't be able to handle the crowd by himself for too much longer."

"We'll be there in just a few minutes," Ginny said, shooing them away. She turned back to Lily and smiled down at her warmly. "Lily, I um…"

Lily held up her hand to stop her from going any further. "Dad and I already talked about this. I'm happy for the two of you. He deserves happiness and if you can give him that, which I'm sure you can, then I'm thrilled for the both of you."

Ginny nodded in understanding. "I'm glad you think so, but I don't want you to feel like I'm taking your mother's place."

After walking away to stand facing the window overlooking the large tent, Lily spoke solemnly. "The term mother means something different to me than it does to you. Your mother was there for you, and my mother was always this woman I never knew." She turned back to face Ginny again so she could see how serious she was. "You're not taking anyone's place in my life because that place has never really been filled."

Ginny didn't quite know what to say. She couldn't believe how incredibly sad this young girl's life had been. Lily must have picked up on her feelings, because she spoke up quickly. "It's okay, really. As I told Dad just a few minutes ago, some things just aren't meant to be. But just because I didn't have a mother when I really needed one doesn't mean I couldn't use one now," she added sincerely. "Would you mind if I…um…"

"Called me Mum?" Ginny surmised.

"I understand if you're not comfortable with that…" Lily said, looking somewhat disappointed.

Ginny smiled and walked over to where Lily was still standing by the window. "I would be honored," she told her before hugging her tightly and wiping away stray tears.

The two stood there for several minutes before Lily pulled away and looked up at Ginny. "Well, I guess we've kept Dad waiting long enough," Lily said, laughing.

"I guess so," Ginny agreed, walking to toward the door. "Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

While his daughter and fiancé were having a heart to heart, Harry Potter had his hands full. The Weasley brothers were a task for any man to handle by himself. They weren't mad exactly, just surprised and shocked that Harry and Ginny had gotten one past them. They were also very determined to at least give them a hard time about it, and as Ginny wasn't here at the moment, Harry had to suffer on his own.

"Don't you want a real wedding, Harry?" Bill asked as they were waiting for Jack to enter with Mrs. Weasley to begin the ceremony.

Harry launched immediately into an explanation. "To be quite honest, I could care less how we get married. I mentioned the Burrow but it was Ginny that came up with this whole deception idea so you can thank her for that."

Bill smiled in spite of his obvious attempts to appear upset. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" he asked, looking behind him to where Fred and George stood with large grins on their faces.

"We've always been proud of that one," Fred said, holding a hand dramatically over his chest.

"Thought she had gone to shame there for a while," George added.

"What with the whole Head Girl thing," Fred explained.

"But she seems to have recovered nicely. This was a brilliant way to get past all the fussing of having a wedding," Georges proclaimed.

Harry looked down the aisle between the rows of seats and saw Jack and Mrs. Weasley standing there indicating Ginny was ready for the ceremony to begin.

"Okay, everyone," the minister said, just loud enough so he could be heard by all. "I believe the ceremony is about to commence. If you will all please take your seats."

Everyone did as the minister requested. Ron walked up to where Harry was standing in from of the Minister at the end of the aisle. He stood in the traditional position of the best man, and gave Harry a reassuring pat on the back.

"Well here we are," he said softly. "Didn't think I'd ever live to see you getting married."

"Neither did I," Harry said, looking around and remembering how it had all began.

"I'm glad we were both wrong," Ron said soberly. "Take care of her, Harry."

"I will," Harry said, smiling.

Jack and Mrs. Weasley made their way down the aisle. Once they reached the first row on the right hand side, Jack lead her to the seat next to Bill and kissed her on the cheek before walking up to join Ron.

While standing there waiting for Lily and Hermione to walk down the isle, Harry looked around at the many people before him. He locked eyes with Mrs. Weasley who nodded her head at him and wiped away tears from her eyes. Next to her was Bill, his wife Fleur, and their two sons Vinny and Marco.

The last time he'd seen Bill had been when Hermione gave birth to Jack. They had said a quick hello in the hallway before he went to meet his godson the first time. He knew Bill and his family lived in France because his children went to Beauxbatons. During the war, Bill and Charlie had spent weeks and months away from their wives, trying to lead the death eaters in circles so Harry, Ron, and Hermione could do what needed to be done.

Charlie was seated on the other side of the aisle in the front row. His arm was around his wife Danielle's shoulder as he beamed with pride up at Harry. Charlie and Danielle had three kids. Eleven-year-old Tony, fifteen-year-old Frank, and eighteen-year-old Jeremy had all gone to Durmstrang, as the family lived in Romania.

He remembered Danielle had found out she was pregnant with Jeremy a few months before the final battle. Towards the end of fighting, Charlie and Bill had joined them to help destroy the last part of Voldemort's soul.

Harry remembered them all sitting around the campfire one night, talking about their worst fears. Charlie said he wanted to live to see his son born. He said if he had to die, the only regret he would have was never getting to hold Jeremy at least once. Harry promised him that he would never let that happen. Sure enough, after the battle was over, Jeremy William Weasley came into the world and Harry's promise was kept.

Tonks had been pregnant at the same time and would give birth to Monica Ruth Lupin just weeks later. Harry remembered thinking that these children were the beginning of a generation of children who would never have to fear Lord Voldemort. Somehow that seemed to make up for all the pain the war had caused, but it certainly didn't erase it from his mind.

Shaking his head to get rid of the memories, Harry smiled when he saw Fred and George grinning evilly at him. Fred was there with his wife Kara and their kids Craig, Jasper, and Timmy. Jackie, who was George's wife, was holding their son Bryan in her arms while George held Kevin in his. It was so hard to imagine Fred and George as family guys. They didn't seem to have changed much over the years, however. They were still their fun-loving, trouble-causing selves.

The music was what brought Harry back to the present as he looked down the aisle and saw his daughter walking towards him. The feeling he discovered in his heart was one he'd never felt before. All at once, she was a grown woman and a little girl. He could see her as a small child running around. He saw her as a young teenager sitting with Jack, studying for Herbology. And he could also she her on her own wedding day, happy, care-free and content. Though he had missed so much of her life, she had never made him feel guilty about it.

By this time, she walked up to where he was standing. He walked for toward to give to her a big bear hug. "Try not to fall over when you see her, Dad," she whispered in his ear.

"No promises," he whispered back before letter her go. She took her place on the other side of the aisle from where Ron and Jack were standing. He noticed Lily lock eyes with Jack for only a second. Hermione made her way down the isle, nodding at Harry with a large smile on her face before she went to stand in from of Lily. Then the music changed and everyone in the tent stood up and looked back to the entrance where Ginny and Mr. Weasley began to walk up to the minister.

Harry and Ginny locked eyes and in that moment all the worry and uncertainty of their lives seemed to melt away. There was only the two of them and the knowledge that the rest of their lives would be spent together. After he got over the initial shock of seeing her, he then noticed her appearance. She was the definition of beauty. Lily had been completely right about his reaction. He was grateful for Ron's steady hand on his back which was the only thing that kept him from personally introducing himself with the ground. Ginny blushed and looked down when she saw his reaction.

Once they reached the altar, Mr. Weasley kissed Ginny lovingly on the cheek. He guided her to Harry and stood behind them as they faced the minister.

"Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of God to witness…." the preacher began.

Harry was hardly listening to the man's remarks. Instead he found himself mesmerized by the woman before him. She was simply incredible and she didn't even know it. He was somewhat surprised when Ginny turned slightly to wink at Lily at one point in the ceremony. Lily smiled back and nodded. The minister talked over this exchange, which he seemed to not even notice. "Into this union Ginerva Molly and Harry James now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not be lawfully wed, speak now, or else forever hold your peace."

The tent remained silent as the Minister looked around expectantly. Harry couldn't tear his eyes way from Ginny. She was absolutely amazing, and she didn't even know it.

When the minister reached the part where he asks, "Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?" Fred spoke up.

"Little late to ask us that don't you think?" he asked smartly. For his outburst he received both a stern look from his mother and a swat on the head from his wife. Harry was grateful for it though, it cut down on some of the tension.

The preacher went on with things and asked Ginny and Harry made their vows to each other before their audience. As they repeated each word their eyes never left the other, promising to give all of themselves to their marriage forever and ever.

Finally, the minister told Ginny and Harry to face each other, which they did. "Ginerva and Harry, having witnessed your vows of love to one another, it is my joy to present you to all gathered here as husband and wife." He paused before addressing Harry individually, "You may kiss your bride."

The room erupted in catcalls and squeals as Harry pulled Ginny to him and kissed her for all he was worth. When they finally pulled away to face their family, the minister said proudly, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me and welcoming for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Harry James Potter!"

There would be many things about that day Harry would remember vividly in the years to come. However the first few moments after the ceremony were a complete blur. He remembered shaking many hands, receiving many pats on the back, and dealing with some mock anger from his brothers-in-law. But other than that there wasn't much worth remembering. He and Ginny were married! Ginny was his wife!

* * *

Eventually, somehow, Harry and everyone else found themselves outside the tent and looking at several large round tables set for a lovely meal. To the right of the tables was a glossy dance floor before a small band on a stage. Everyone left the tent and found a seat with their name on if. Harry, Ginny, Ginny's parents and brothers, and their wives were seated at one table. The kids were spit up amongst the smaller tables according to age.

Once everyone was seated, Harry tapped his glass and to get the family's attention. "Ginny and I would just like to thank all of you for being with us today. I hope you all don't feel too put out by our little trick."

"Your day will come, Potter!" Fred and George shouted together.

"Until then I shall live in fear," Harry shot back before continuing with his speech. "It really means a lot to me that you all have welcomed me back into your hearts after so many years. I would also like to personally thank all of you for taking my daughter Lily in as one of your own."

Lily blushed from her place in between Jack and Andy. Jack sensed her embarrassment and wrapped an arm around her to pull closer to him. Harry continued, "Now we would like all of you to enjoy your meal and the rest of the evening."

Just as Harry took his seat, Ron stood up with a smug look on his face. "Now, now, Harry, you really didn't think you were going to get out of the traditional wedding speeches and toasts, did you? You may have gotten out of a bachelor party by springing this surprise on us. But honestly, mate, I've known you forever. I'm not going to mess up this golden opportunity for a march down a very embarrassing memory lane."

"Here, here!" all the Weasley men said, raising their glasses to the heavens and cheering.

Ron held his glass in one hand and tucked his other fist in his trouser pocket. "Now we all know that being Harry's best friend has had its many advantages. Our school days were filled with many very dangerous experiences, many of which my parents thankfully still don't know about," he added shooting Mr. and Mrs. Weasley a quick glance. "I'd like to say that when Harry met Ginny it was love at first sight, but we all know that isn't the case. Ginny first saw Harry the same time I did. Although she may have been madly in love with him instantly, Harry took a little more convincing. We all know Harry's a bit dramatic, so it took him years to realize he was in love with my dear baby sister."

"Watch it, big brother," Ginny said testily. Harry however wasn't in the least bit offended; in fact he found it amusing.

Ron went on, "As I was saying, Harry and Ginny finally got together only to be torn apart not once but twice of the course of several years. I'd just like to speak for the whole family in saying that we're all glad they both finally swallowed their pride and came to their senses."

"You can say that again!" George bellowed from across the large table.

Ron nodded to acknowledge his brother's comment before concluding with a toast. "So here's to Harry and Ginny, two of the most stubborn people I know. May the rest of their relationship be a hell of a lot less complicated than the beginning!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank to Ron's toast. Once the laughter had calmed down, Ron sat back down and motioned to his wife to take over.

Hermione stood up apprehensively and smoothed out her dress. She glanced over at Harry and Ginny to smile warmly before beginning. "Well, unlike my overgrown oaf of a husband, I'm not going to embarrass Harry and Ginny any further than they already have been. I would just like to tell Harry how much I missed him when he wasn't around. I can't count the number of times over the past few years I've wished that Harry was there to help me with something. Harry, you are truly my very best friend. I am glad you're finally found your happiness in the world. I have to admit, as much as I've missed Harry over the years, I have missed Ginny just as much. Gin, I know we all felt like a part of this family was missing all those years you were gone. I'm glad we're back together again, just as we always should have been." Hermione raised her glass and made her toast, "Here's to remembering all the good memories we made together and promising to make new memories in the many years to come!"

One more time, everyone raised their glasses and toasted to Harry and Ginny. Soon they were submersed in their lovely meal. Conversations varied all around.

"What about a honeymoon, Harry?" Bill asked about halfway through dinner.

"We're going to go on holiday this summer," Harry said, looking at Ginny who stopped eating.

Ginny smiled and hooked her arm with his. "Just where are we going, Mr. Potter?"

"You'll just have to wait and see, Mrs. Potter," he said, leaning over and catching her lips in an innocent kiss.

"Oh, Potter! She's still our sister!" Fred said, disgusted.

"Get over it, Weasley," Harry said, never taking his eyes off his beautiful wife for a second.

* * *

The meal went off without a hitch, and soon the band struck up a tone and everyone got to their feet. Harry and Ginny shared their first dance together as husband and wife. Ginny danced with her father and Harry with her mother. Now Harry found himself standing by the table talking to Charlie and Diane while Ginny was off dancing with one of her many brothers. This was just about the only time he wished Ginny didn't have such a large family. How was a man supposed to dance with his new wife when one of her five brothers keeps interrupting?

"So, how is Lily doing, Harry?" Charlie asked, looking around to find Lily seated at the table talking to Veronica while Jack danced with his mother.

"She's not doing as well as I would like," Harry said truthfully. "She's hit a bit of a rough spot."

"From what I hear it isn't just a spot," Charlie said without thinking. Immediately after the words were out of his mouth he regretted them. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

Harry shook his head. "It's okay. You're right, actually. She doesn't seem to have had it easy."

"Harry, will you not be offended if I ask you something kind of personal?" Charlie asked uncomfortably.

"I promise to not be offended," Harry vowed.

"I guess what I don't understand is why you left her in the first place? You know, why not send her here with us? We would have looked after her, and you know some of the things that happened could have been avoided."

"Charlie, I'm sorry but I can't answer that for you, or at least not yet. I promise you'll get all the answers you want in time, but for certain reasons I just can't give you what you want right now."

Charlie shrugged, "I understand, mate. Just know that we would have taken really good care of her. We love her, you know, and we'd have made sure she felt like apart of the family."

"I know you would have," Harry guaranteed. "I'm grateful beyond words."

"Have you ever thought of having Lily talk to someone?" Diane asked suddenly.

"Someone? What do you mean, someone?" Harry asked at a loss.

"You know, someone in psychology," Diane explained. "My sister is a witch, but she's also a muggle psychologist. It could really help her, Harry, especially if she's got suppressed issues."

Harry was skeptical. "I don't know, Diane. I'm not sure Lily would go for that. She doesn't do well when it comes to talking about her feelings."

"Maybe that's exactly what she needs," Charlie said solemnly.

"I'll think about it, thanks guys," Harry told them. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go find my wife and steal her for a dance."

* * *

Lily Potter watched her father walk away from Charlie and Diane in search of Ginny, and locate her on the dance floor with her brother Bill. She couldn't quite make out what they said, but moments later her father and step-mother were dancing in each other's arms. Not that she'd really known her father for all that long, but she had never seen him look happier. For the first time, he looked carefree. It was almost like being with Ginny made him forget all about his problems, even if it was only for a little while.

A familiar whisper in her ear brought Lily out of her trance, "What is a pretty girl like you doing sitting here all by herself?"

"Well, that would because my fiancé left her to go dance with his mother," Jack replied jokingly, stepping to the side so she could look up into his eyes.

"Dance with me?" he asked, offering his arm to her.

"Oh, if you insist," she replied, standing up and taking his arm.

Jack led them out unto the dance floor where a soft romantic song filled the artificially warm winter air. He pulled her body to his chest and soon they found themselves swaying back and forth to the melody.

"What are you thinking about?" Jack asked when he saw her serious expression.

"Nothing," she said, resting her head on his chest and listening to the gentle beating of his heart.

"No, you're thinking about something. Tell me what's eating at you?" He pushed further.

"Its just strange you know. I mean look at them, Jack," she gestured to Harry and Ginny. "They look so happy. And today I felt happier than I have in I don't know when. And I look around at all your aunts and uncles and cousins, they all seem so lighthearted."

"What's your point, love?" Jack asked, lifting her chin up towards his face with his fingertip.

"I want that," she declared delicately. She looked around the dance floor and found Jack's grandparents. "I want that to be us in fifty years. I want us to be dancing together at our children's wedding. Do you think we'll ever get there?"

He considered her question for a second before responding. "We'll never get anywhere if we don't try."

They danced again for a few minutes before she spoke up. "Something is wrong with me, Jack," she said, looking off into the distance. "I don't know how much longer I can live like this."

"I know, baby," he said soothingly, bringing her head back down to his chest. "I promise it won't last forever. I'm going to fix it."

"You shouldn't have to take care of me like this," she said, sounding on the verge of a breakdown.

"I love you. People who love each other take care of each other. That's just how it works so you're gonna had to live with it," Jack scolded playfully, trying to lift her mood.

Before Lily got the chance to respond another familiar voice interrupted their dance. "Lily," Ginny said smiling, "Would you mind if I stole my nephew for a dance. You're dad and I are going to be leaving soon. I know he'd really like to dance with you before we go."

Lily detangled herself from Jack's arms reluctantly. "Sure, I'll find him just as soon as I go into the house to freshen up."

"You don't need to freshen up," Jack said, cupping her face the palm of his hand. "You're beautiful just the way you are."

"You're biased!" she teased as she walked away towards the house. Once inside, she took the stairs at a fast pace to get to the bathroom as soon as possible. Something wasn't right, she could feel it. Once the door was closed and locked behind her, she splashed her face with cold water and looked up at her reflection in the mirror.

The feeling that over came her was kind of like going over a waterfall. She was falling and floating all at the same time. She felt her body fall down on the bathroom tile and as much as she wanted to stand up again she just couldn't. The ceiling above her seemed to swirl around in circles before her vision went completely blank.

_

* * *

_

_The sight before her eyes was new. It was some kind of beachfront house, though the weather outside was hardly tropical. All the windows were thrown open. Lily shivered, pulling her sweater closer to her body and looked around. _

_"You're really getting good at fighting it, Lily," a cold voice said behind her. She didn't need to turn around to see who it was. _

_"I've always been a fast learner," she spat at him as she turned around to face him properly. _

_"I would expect nothing less of the last remaining member of the_ _Pierre family line," Malfoy said matter-a-factly._

_"The who?" Lily asked, defiantly tilting her face up towards him. _

_"No matter," Malfoy dismissed. "I'm surprised your father hasn't told you the truth. But then again if I know anything about Potter it is that he likes to run away from his problems." _

_"You shut up about my father!" Lily yelled, walking towards him. "He's a hundred times the man you'll ever be. Look at you! Reduced to kidnapping and raping teenage girls! It's kind of pathetic, don't you think?"_

_Malfoy lunged at her before she had the chance to think twice about what she'd said. His fingers closed on her throat as he backed her into the wall window frame behind her. Lily tried everything she could think of to get him to let go. She hit him over the head with her free hands, she kicked him with her legs, and she tried to scream though she knew no one could hear her. _

"_Your dear old dad's problem is that he just doesn't know to keep his hands off what isn't his to take," Malfoy said loudly. "He should have left well enough alone, but now he's paying for his mistakes. Or should I say you're paying for his mistakes." _

_She tried to tell herself this wasn't real. She was really still at Jack's grandparent's house. She was safe. That didn't help calm her nerves when he hand reached down the hem of her skirt and yanked it up her thigh. _

_"You're mine, Potter. Just as your mother always should have been," Malfoy said as he forced his mouth over hers to muffle her scream. _

* * *

"So you don't know where Harry is taking you on your honeymoon this summer?" Jack asked as he danced with his aunt and godmother.

"No, he said he wants it to be a surprise. I really don't care where it is though. It will just be nice to get away for a while. It's too bad we can't go anywhere now but I understand why," Ginny said happily looking over at Harry who was waiting for Lily to come back from the bathroom.

"Harry told me earlier you two have a house now?" Jack said, remembering their earlier conversation after dinner.

"Yes, and there will always be a room for you and Lily if you need one. I don't want you to be afraid to come talk to me, Jack. I know I haven't been the best godmother to you, and I'm really sorry about that. But I'm here now and I'm worried about you."

"About me? Lily's the one who-"

Ginny interrupted. "I know how hard it is to be in love with a Potter. They're a stubborn lot, aren't they?"

Jack sighed. "It just frustrates me because I know she hides things from me. I just wish she'd let me help her. I wish I could make her safe."

"I know, honey," Ginny said, smoothing the hair on his forehead. "Have you every thought that maybe this is something Lily has to work out on her own?"

Jack's face darkened and he shook his head, "No, Lily has always had to work things out on her own. She's got a family now who wants to help her and she needs to know that."

"Well, just promise me that you'll come to me if you need someone to talk to," Ginny asked.

"I promise," Jack assured.

The song ended and they both turned to see Harry was walking towards them. "Jack," Harry said when he was close enough, "Where did Lily go?"

"She said she needed to go freshen up," he said, looking around. "She's been gone all this time?"

"Yes," Harry said, also looking around the tables nearby. "Hermione, have you seen Lily?"

"I saw her walk into the house a little while ago," Hermione said as she walked to join them. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to dance with her," Harry said, disheartened.

* * *

­­­­­­

_Lily slid down the wall and pulled her torn dress closer around her body. She knew she would have an ugly bruise on her back from where it had been pressed into the wooden doorframe. Again she tried to calm herself down. _

_That didn't just happen, she thought. This isn't real._

_"Oh but it is real," Malfoy said straightening up his shirt. "It's as real as real can be." _

_"Why?" she asked, looking up at him with glassy eyes._

_"Because you have become the one and only thing in my life that makes me happy," Malfoy said, squatting down to her level. "Making your life hell is the only thing I live for. Your father took everything from me. He took my family and he took my future. Now I intend to take his." _

_"If you want to kill me why not just do it?" she asked, looking him in the eye._

_"Now what kind of fun would that be?" Malfoy said in a voice that suggested he might be talking to a small child rather than a seventeen-year-old. "When I'm done with you Potter, you'll beg for death. You'll want it so badly you'll be screaming for me to kill you. All the while your father will be there to watch you suffer and then parish."_

_"You're sick," Lily told him, looking away and wiping the blood off her face from where he'd probably broken her nose. _

_"Perhaps," Malfoy said distantly. "For now, however, I've grown tired of you. But the next time your dear half-blood fiancé wants to show you how much he says he loves you, just remember what happened here today, Lily dear. Because it did happen. You remember what it felt like. You remember…"_

* * *

It took a few minutes for the bathroom ceiling to come back into focus. Lily sat up slowly, groaning in pain. She clutched the edge of the sink to help her stand up. Taking several deep breaths she looked down at her bruised and battered body. Her dress really was ripped and her nose was still bleeding. She didn't know how long she'd been in the bathroom, and she knew it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for her. Grabbing her wand, she performed a mending charm on her dressed and cleaned off the blood. Her sweater was on the floor next to her, and she pulled that around her shoulders with some difficulty and looked at her reflection. She didn't want to risk doing a healing spell on herself so she settled for a concealment charm to hide the bruises, though she no longer knew if she was hiding the bruises from the attack a few days ago or from this recent one. But then again, did it matter? Biting her lip to keep from letting her tears fall, she turned around and opened the door.

She was about half way down the stairs when she turned a sharp corner and almost ran into someone. The sudden appearance nearly caused her to loose it. She flattened herself against the wall behind her and couldn't suppress her scream.

"Lily!" Hermione said, concerned as she reached forward to grasp her shoulders so she wouldn't fall over. "Are you okay, sweetheart? What happened?"

Lily didn't speak for a moment while she tried to slow her beating heart. "I'm sorry, but you frightened me," she finally said, sounding out of breath.

"Your father was looking for you. Where have you been?"

"I just had to wash my face. Where his he? I wanted to say goodbye before they leave," Lily said quickly.

"He's down stairs waiting with Jack. I told them I'd come up to see if you're right."

"I'm fine," Lily said as she brushed past her father's childhood friend and bounded down the rest of the stairs. She indeed found her father and Jack standing in the kitchen looking worried. "I'm here," she said, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Thought we lost you there," Jack said suspiciously.

"No, I'm fine," she said as Hermione joined them. "I believe you owe me a dance, Daddy."

"Like I'd turn down that offer," Harry said lightly. He placed an arm around her shoulders and set off out the door and back down the warm path to the dance floor. Jack and Hermione followed him, and when his eyes met Hermione's she shook her head with a troubled look on her face.

Jack watched Harry and Lily dance together for a few minutes before he turned to his mother. "What's going on?" he asked her.

"I don't really know, Jack," Hermione said, not taking her eyes off Lily. "She seems kind of jumpy."

The two of them stood in silence until the song ended. Harry kissed Lily on the cheek and they walked over to where Hermione and Jack were standing.

"I guess Gin and I should get going," Harry said, still looking down at his daughter.

"I guess we'll see you at Hogwarts," Lily said, giving him an extra hug before leaving him to stand next to Jack. Harry took notice of the fact that she didn't stand close enough to Jack for him to reach out and touch her.

"Yeah, our house is in Hogsmeade so I won't be on the train," Harry told them.

"Ready to go?" Ginny asked, joining them as well.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Why don't you say goodbye to Lily?" Harry asked giving her an odd look. Ginny looked at him strangely for a second but seemed to understand that he needed a moment with Jack. She walked Lily a few feet away from them and said her goodbyes. Hermione went with them.

Jack walked closer to Harry. "Something wrong?" he asked quietly so no one else could hear.

"Something is different about her. I don't know what it is, but she's about to lose it. Please take her home," Harry begged sincerely.

"What, now?"

"The sooner, the better," he said quickly as the girls rejoined them. "Come here and give me a hug, kid," Harry said, opening his arms up to his daughter who almost reluctantly walked forward and embraced him.

"Congratulations again, Daddy," she said in a muffled tone against his shirt.

"Thank you, honey. Jack is going to take you home now," Harry said when he pulled away. He could see she was about to protest so he clarified, "You're tired, I can tell. Go home, take a shower, and go to bed."

"Alright," she conceded. She walked over to Jack who wrapped an arm around her shoulders and turned her to walk towards the house. She tried not to flinch at the contact, but she couldn't help it.

"Something's wrong," he observed. "What is it?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she said, coming to terms with the fact that he knew something had happened and there was nothing she could do to hide it anymore.

"Please, don't do this. Don't shut me out," he pleaded.

By now they were at the house and in the living room. Instead of answering his plea, Lily grabbed a handful of floo powder and disappeared in the flames. Sighing, Jack did the same, and moments later stumbled out into his parent's living room. He looked around for Lily but couldn't find her. He would have panicked if he hadn't heard the sounds of her feet on the stairs. Jack took off after her, tearing up the stairs and down the hall to his bedroom door. Just as he opened the door to his room he heard a noise from Lily's bedroom, the room she rarely used now-a-days. He walked over to her door and tried to open it but found it locked.

"Lily," he said loudly. Listening carefully, he could hear her breathing on the other side of the door as if she were sitting up against it.

Then heard her sniffle as if she was in tears. "Please Jack, leave me alone for a little while."

"No, I will not leave you alone. You're upset, I can hear you crying. Open the door," he said forcefully.

"Please," she begged.

"Lilly Elizabeth Potter, if you don't let me in there right now I'm going to use magic," he scolded.

There was silence for a few tense moments. When she finally spoke up it was in a whisper, one he would have missed if he hadn't had his ear pressed to the door. "It wasn't real."

"What wasn't real?" he asked.

"NOTHING!" she exploded. "Go away Jack."

"Fine, I'm coming in," he said pulling out his wand.

"You take one step inside this room and I'll never forgive you!" she promised.

"Lily-"

"I just need some time alone, okay? I promise I'll come out in a little while."

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"Just give me an hour or so to get myself together then I'll come to bed," she offered in hopes of getting him to leave.

Jack pressed his forehead against smooth wood surface and groaned in frustration. "Why do you always do this?" he whispered sadly.

No reply from the other side of the door came. He heard another door open and close. He assumed she had gone into her connecting bathroom. He also knew there would be no talking to her until she was ready. Slowly, he backed up from her door and slid down the wall into a sitting position. It might be a longer night than he thought.

A/N- Please review! Things will be picking back up again in the next few chapters! Hold on to your hats!


	11. Chapter Eleven: Waking Moments

A/N- Okay, I know this one is a little short as compared ot the others but trust me this chapter is anything but meaningless! I hope you like it! When you're done please leave me a review!

Chapter 11: Waking Moments

When Hermione and Ron got home late that night with the rest of their boys, Jack was still sitting outside Lily's door. When he heard the front door open, he got up and walked into his room to avoid the imposing questions from his brothers that he knew would come if they saw him sitting in the hallway. He left his bedroom door open and sat in the chair facing the window.

"Ok, come on boys," his mother's voice said. "Time for bed!"

"But Mum!" Joe protested.

"Listen to your mother," Ron told them firmly. The voices where getting louder and soon he heard his younger brothers speed past.

Andrew stopped at his door when he saw him sitting there alone. "Jack? Where's Lily?" he asked, walking into the room.

"In her room," Jack answered shortly.

Andrew took a seat on the bed across from the chair. Jack kept his eyes focused on the backyard through the window in front of him. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know. I think so…maybe," Jack said vaguely.

Andrew looked mildly amused, "What kind of answer is that? You think so? Maybe?"

"She shut herself in her room!" Jack yelled in frustration. "She asked me to leave her alone."

"And you listened to her?" Andrew asked, bewildered.

"Of course I listened to her!" Jack replied, standing up and pacing the room. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"You were not supposed to leave her alone!" Andrew said firmly. "You were supposed to get your arse in there and help her!"

"She won't let me! She used magic to lock the door!"

Andrew walked over to his brother and shook his shoulders to reinforce his point. "Jack! What kind of wizard are you! If she won't open the door then just open it yourself!"

Jack opened his mouth to retort but couldn't think of anything better to say other than, "You're right."

"Of course I'm right! I take after Mum! You clearly take after Dad because you're incredibly thick! This is Lily we're talking about! When she's hurting she shuts herself off. Now get over there and help my sister!"

Jack didn't need telling twice. He knew Lily was just as important to him as she was to his brothers. Like Andrew said, she was their sister. He set his jaw, stood up straight, and walked out his bedroom door and into the hall. Andrew followed and ran into his mother when he exited Jack's door.

"What's going on?" she asked, watching Jack stroll deliberately over to Lily's door.

"I think we've got it under control," Andrew said confidently. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Good night, Mum."

"Good night," Hermione said as she saw Jack wave his hand over Lily's door and walk inside. She heard him mutter another locking charm and silencing charm. Shaking her head, Hermione walked down the hall the other way to her bedroom and found her husband in their bedroom getting ready for bed.

Jack entered Lily's room, locked the door behind him, and cast a silence charm. He looked around and found the room empty, though he saw that the light in the bathroom was on.

"Lily?" He called through the door. When no response came he spoke again, "I'm coming in there if you don't open the door." Again he heard nothing.

He turned the knob of the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. The first thing he noted was the intense heat coming from the shower. The water must be scalding, because the room was filled with thick steam making it nearly impossible to see his hand in front of his face. He walked over to where he knew the shower door would be and opened it. Feeling around he found the knob and turned the shower off. With the door open and the shower off, the mist began to clear and Jack saw that Lily wasn't in the shower stall at all.

He turned around and saw her sitting down, with a towel wrapped around her, on the tile, with her legs drawn up into her chest. She had this dazed expression on her face that reminded him of someone who had been hit by the killing curse. It was almost like she wasn't really there. Her skin was a deep red from being under the hot water and it appeared she had bruising showing up on her face, around her nose and cheek.

He approached her slowly, not wanting to frighten her. Kneeling in front of her, he said her name several times, but her blank expression didn't change. The only movement she made was the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in and out. Closing his eyes in concentration, he entered her mind. He was immediately sucked into some kind of memory or alternate reality and it was recent, very recent. Lily was in a strange beach house with…Malfoy. He watched the scene for several minutes before it became too much and he had to leave. When he opened his eyes he saw she had covered her face with her hands and she was weeping. She knew exactly what he'd seen.

"Jack, I'm so sorry," she said, not looking up at him. "There was nothing I could do…he…" her voice trailed off into nothingness.

"Shhhh, baby come here," he cooed, sitting on the floor next to her and wrapping his arms around her. "It's okay."

"No, no it's not okay," she cried into his shoulder. "I didn't want to make a big deal of it. Today was supposed to be Dad's day. I didn't want him worrying about me."

"Your father isn't here now. It's just me and I am very worried about you," he said, without room for question.

"It wasn't real," she declared definitively, almost to herself.

"Honey, that doesn't change much. Think about it, he can physically hurt you through these attacks and in your sleep. We need to consider the possibility that it was…"

By the time Jack finished his thoughts on what happened she was hysterical, "Oh God, why is this happening? Why? That's all I want to know! What did I do to deserve this?"

"You haven't done anything, love. I promise you I'll figure it out," he guaranteed.

"What if you can't? What then?"

"I will," he told her again.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I have to be!" he said, perhaps too loudly.

She jumped at the tone of his voice and pulled away. He was immediately sorry for his outburst and reached to bring her back to him. "I'm sorry. It's just that I will not loose you over this. Malfoy cannot be doing this on his own. He's got to be using some kind of curse or spell. Once we figure that out, we'll figure out how to reverse it."

"Please don't tell my father about this?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

"I promise not to tell him _until_ we're all back at Hogwarts," he said, choosing his words carefully.

"Jack! I don't want him to know about it! You saw him today. He's happy. I don't want to be the one to take that away. This isn't the first time I've asked you to keep something from him. I don't need him worrying about me even more than he already is!"

Deciding it was time to come clean, Jack made a confession. "No, it isn't the first time you've _asked_ me to keep things from your dad. I know I promised you I wasn't going to tell him about certain things but I have, okay? I told him about the first attack you had when we started training again that day we went to Diagon Alley. I've been confiding the truth about how you're doing all year."

Lily jumped up from her spot on the floor and glared at him. "Jack, you promised me!"

He stood up with her. "Yeah, well some promises are meant to be broken! Personally, I see this as part of the promise I've made to Harry countless times when I told him I'd always take care of you. He deserves to know the truth about his own daughter!"

"Not if it's going to cause him more worry," she countered.

"Well, I'm sorry but I'm not going to help you lie to him!" he shouted. "He is your father, Lily. This is what parents do; they worry." Lily was about to comeback with another comment, but a knock at her door interrupted their heated argument. Jack sighed and walked over to open the door.

"Dennis?" he asked in disbelief. "What are you doing here?" He knew that because he was their department head he had special permission to apparate directly into his parent's house, but usually he used the door anyway.

"We have a lead on Malfoy," he said quickly. "I thought you might like to check it out with us."

"Definitely," Jack said, running to his room to grab his cloak.

"I'm going too," Lily proclaimed.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Jack protested, pulling his cloak around his shoulders.

"Well I didn't ask you, now did I?" she said testily. "Wait just a minute while I change." She shut the door in his face.

"Issues?" Dennis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You could call it that," Jack agreed.

"You should probably leave your parents a note," Dennis suggested.

"Right," Jack said, running to his room and scribbling a quick note and leaving it on his pillow. If they weren't home by morning, then his mum would find it there. If they were back before everyone woke up then there would be no reason alarming them. By the time he rejoined Dennis in the hallway, Lily was already dressed.

"We're meeting the rest of the unit there," Dennis told them as they hurried down the stairs.

"Where are we going?" Jack asked.

"Just grab hold of this," Dennis said, pulling out an old tennis shoe. "I had a portkey made because I knew you all wouldn't be able to apparate there 'cause you haven't seen it. It's a small island off the American coast in New England. We have intelligence that Malfoy and Luis have been spotted there."

Jack and Lily did as Dennis asked without question, and soon they all felt the strange yet familiar tug behind their navel. When the world stopped spinning and they found themselves on solid ground again, they took a look around.

The weather was freezing. Several aruors were out and about conducting searches of the otherwise vacant beach.

"I've been here before," Lily said, turning around and around.

"When?" Dennis asked.

"In a…dream," she said, pausing to look at Jack. "I have a bad feeling about this. We need to get out of here."

"We should have a look around," Dennis said, ignoring her warning.

"No, I really think we should get out of here," Lily said again.

As if to prove her point, an auror to their right came running out of some bushes screaming, "INCOMING!"

A large number of dark looking figures came out after the auror and started attacking the closest aurors. Lily saw Jack engage in a duel with one of them and before she could react to help him she received a hard kick in the back that sent her falling to the ground. She was on her feet in no time, wand at the ready.

Stunners and severing charms could be heard all over. The scene was utter chaos. Lily had stunned three of them and tied them up before looking around to see if anyone needed help. Everywhere she could see there were aurors and death eaters engaged in fighting. She couldn't tell how long they'd been fighting. Thirty minutes maybe, an hour perhaps.

She had just taken off to help Dennis who looked to be in trouble trying to handle three of them on his own when she heard someone scream her name from behind. "LILY!"

Almost at the same time, someone in the crowd yelled a curse Lily had never heard before, "Desis Contorum!"

She turned around just in time to see Jack fly into her and knock her to the ground. When she fell, she hit her head on something hard and everything went black for several moments. She didn't know how long, but when she came round she was on her stomach and something else heavy was on her back. It took her a few disoriented seconds to figure out who it was.

"Jack," she managed to croak out as she moved his limp body off her. She gently rolled him onto his back and sat up to get a better look at him. The color in his face was quickly retreating and he was gasping for breath. "Stay with me," she instructed looking him over to see what was wrong. It was so dark that she could barely see her own hand in front of her face, and because she was preoccupied with the task at hand, she didn't see a death eater come at her from her right.

Whoever the attacker was, he clearly didn't have a wand because he went straight for her throat and started strangling her. They fell to the ground and a power struggle ensued before the unidentified man pinned her hard on her back. He straddled her waist and started knocking her head on the hard ground over and over again. When Lily managed to get a fist to collide with the man's jaw, he tightened his grip on her neck. Again the world began to go fuzzy, she didn't know if it was from lack of air or the blows to the back of her head.

"You'll get yours, traitor," he said with malice.

Gasping for breath, "I'm the traitor?" she asked with equal distain. In return for her remark she got her head slammed into the ground twice more.

The man looked to his right when one of his buddies passed him a wand. He held the tip to her throat and said another unknown curse, "Fantalia!"

It was the strangest sensation Lily had ever felt. It was like the sky above her had fallen down on her chest and was pressing the life right out of her. She gagged, trying unsuccessfully to get the man off of her. Just when she thought she was going to pass out again, he suddenly disappeared before her eyes.

As soon as he was gone, the world seemed to fall back in place and she could breath normally again. She didn't move right away, as she took deep breaths to fill her lungs with much needed oxygen again. She looked around and saw all the other death eaters were gone as well. Confused she searched the sea of equally perplexed aurors for a familiar face.

"Are you alright?" Dennis asked when he ran over to her.

"Yeah, I think so," she said, massaging her neck.

He pointed to her stomach with a horrified look on his face, "You're bleeding!"

She looked down and the harsh reality hit her all at once. "It's not my blood," she said as she frantically got to her knees and crawled over to where Jack was still in the same position. "Jack, hang in there," she pleaded, opening up his robes and ripping apart his shirt to find the huge gapping wound that stretched from his side and up his chest.

"Lily," Jack mumbled, coughing up blood in the process. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain and tried to roll away from her. Lily kept him on his side while he continued to cough so he wouldn't choke. When he stopped, she turned him back and reached into her wand only to find that it wasn't there.

"Where's my wand!" She asked whoever happened to be listening. Someone handed it to her.

"Shouldn't we take him to the hospital?" Dennis suggested.

"No, it might hurt him more to transport him until we stop the bleeding," she told him.

Dennis nodded and asked, "What can I do?" He fell to his knees on Jack's other side.

"Um…just distract him from the pain," Lily told him. "Keep him awake. Don't let him close his eyes."

While Dennis kept Jack occupied, Lily went to work. She muttered a healing charm but for some reason it wasn't working properly. It was healing, but at a painstakingly slow rate.

"What's wrong?" Dennis's voice asked, "Why isn't it working?" He lit the end of his wand so she could see what she could see what she was doing.

"I don't know," Lily said, taking off her own robe to try and stem the blood still pouring from his chest. Jack screamed out when she applied pressure and made to grab her writs to pull them away.

"I'm sorry but I've got to stop the bleeding," she said regretfully.

Dennis held his hands down to keep him from moving too much.

"Just take slow, deep breaths," she said, knowing that he was beginning to panic when they locked eyes. She saw the fear he no longer had the energy to hide. She sat up on her knees, and pushed down on his wound with all her might using one hand. The other hand she used to run over his forehead in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. "That's it, you're alright," she told him, watching him struggle to control his breathing.

No matter how much Lily pressed down on his wound, the bleeding didn't slow. The healing spell had stopped working completely, only healing half the wound. Her robe was completely soaked through with his blood and her own hands were numb from applying such pressure. She was running out of ideas and Jack was going into shock. He's whole body was trembling horribly and his lips had started turning blue.

"It's just a gash," Dennis said as they both fought to keep him still so he didn't hurt himself more.

"No, it was a curse," Lily corrected.

"Curse…what curse?" Dennis asked, his eyes too clouding with worry.

"I don't know. Something I've never heard before," she said, racking her brain and trying to remember. "Two words…sounded Latin maybe…"

"We're losing him, Lily!"

"Talk to me, Jack!" She screamed shaking his shoulders trying to get his attention.

"C…c…cold," he said, fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Look at me!" Lily coached. He made eye contact with her for a few seconds before his eyes rolled in the back of his head and closed.

"Jack, come on! Open your eyes for me!"

"Something's wrong," Dennis said behind her. "He's not waking up."

"He's lost too much blood," Lily told him, clutching the base of Jack's wrist and feeling for several seconds. "I'm loosing his pulse, Dennis; we've got to get him to the hospital. We no longer have any choice."

Dennis nodded his head and bend down to take Jack's hand. "I'll take him, you follow us," he said before disapparating with a loud POP.

Just when she felt her legs hit the ground at Mungo's emergency apparition point, Lily fell to the ground in a painful heap. Baffled at her sudden lack of energy, she pulled herself off the ground and looked around. She saw several healers already loading Jack onto a stretcher. She recognized one of them as Maggie Fairchild, a fellow healer trainee she knew from her work there on the weekends.

"Lily," Maggie said, running over to her. "Are you okay? You look like death walking?"

"I'll be fine if he is," Lily said, never taking her eyes off Jack's still unmoving body. She moved to follow them as they took him behind the emergency room doors but Maggie stopped her.

"You know you'll be no help to him in there. You're in no shape to be his healer. What happened to your neck? You're all black and blue!" she asked, stepping forward and looking closer.

"I um…nothing, please just help him!" Lily asked, desperately pointing toward the doors Jack has being treated.

Maggie dismissed her plea and turned her head to look at the back of Lily's head. "You're bleeding and you look like you're about to fall over! You need to be looked at!"

Lily looked her friend in the eye and glared. "I am not going ANYWHERE until I know he's okay!"

"Leave her alone," Dennis said as walked over after seeing his employee in distress. "She's had it rough and scolding her will only make things worse."

Maggie looked annoyed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is there someone I can floo?"

Dennis stepped forward and put a reassuring hand on Lily's shoulder. "His parents," he informed the healer. "They need to be notified, Ron and Hermione Weasley. Her father as well; Harry Potter and his wife Ginny need to be called as well."

"I'll go take care of sending someone to tell them," Maggie said squeezing Lily's hand. "They'll come out to let you know if anything changes. After that you _need _to see a healer."

After Maggie left, Lily felt herself being guided to the chairs in the waiting area not far away. "I don't understand why those death eaters just left like that," Dennis thought out loud next to her.

"It was a trap," Lily told him, still staring blankly ahead of her.

"Still, I don't see why they would just not take us out right then and there. They had the upper hand," Dennis admitted.

"These are death eaters we're talking about. They don't want to just kill us on some random vacant American beach. They want power and power only comes from doing something big out in the open for everyone to see. This was just a message," she warned.

"Message, a message for whom?"

"Me, you, the whole wizarding world. What does it matter?"

"Lily, are you going to be alright?" Dennis asked, looking at her with concern. "I've got to get back to see if anyone else needs help."

"I'm fine," she said, still not looking at him.

"Jack's parents will be here soon," he assured. "I'll be back to make sure he's okay. And I want you to see a healer. I mean it, Potter, you're no good to me hurt."

She nodded as she saw him leave from the corner of her eye. When she was there by herself, she couldn't help but go over everything in her mind.

The spell didn't heal the wound. She'd used that spell more times then she could remember and had never had trouble with it before. Maybe the curse had something to do with it. Or he had another injury she didn't notice or unless. Maybe she just wasn't doing it properly.

She looked down to her knees and found them stained with Jack's blood from where she'd knelt at his side. Her mind then went back to their argument. She didn't want the last thing conversation she ever had with Jack to be a fight. What were they even fighting about? Her head began to pound. She leaned her elbows on her knees and held her face in her hands.

Minutes passed like hours for Lily as she waited for any news. About thirty minutes after Jack had been brought in, his father arrived. Lily looked up into the eyes of an extremely troubled Ron Weasley.

"Lily, are you alright?" he asked as he ran over to her.

She stood and welcomed his embrace. "You're hurt…you're bleeding," Ron said when he pressed his hand to the back of her head and felt warm blood on his palm. Her cloths and shoes, her face and hair; it was everywhere. Looking down at her, he saw she was covered in dried blood. He knew all of that couldn't be from the back of her head.

She pulled away to look him in the eye. "I'm fine. Jack's still in there…he took a curse for me…he…he…"

"Jack's blood," Ron concluded, looking at her again.

Lily held out her hands which were also stained red and he couldn't miss how horribly her fingers shook before him.

"Its okay honey, he'll be fine," Ron told her, though he didn't sound all that sure.

"Uncle Ron…there was so much blood," she cried into his shoulder. "I tried to heal him but it didn't work. I don't understand."

Fighting to keep his composure, he held her tighter. "Shhhhh, Jack's tough he'll pull through this."

"Where's Aunt Hermione?" she asked, suddenly realizing she wasn't there.

"Someone from the hospital came busting into the house and woke everyone up. She was trying to calm the kids down when I told her I'd go on ahead. She'll be here any minute."

"Oh God, the boys," Lily whispered as the room began to spin. How could she ever face them if…if…

Ron seemed to sense that Lily wasn't handling all this too well. He felt her tremble in his arms. "It's okay, calm down. I need to get you to a healer," he said looking around for help.

It was then that they heard a voice from down the hall scream, "Ron!"

Sure enough, there was Hermione Weasley running down the hall in her dressing robe to her husband and goddaughter.

Ron let go of Lily as just in time to catch his wife as she ran into his arms. "Is he alright? Do they know anything?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"No," Lily answered for him. "They won't tell me anything." She had this haunted look in her eye and it didn't take long for Hermione to become worried as well.

"Honey, sit down," Hermione said, forcing her down into a chair. "I sent an owl to your dad before I left. He should be here soon," she told her reassuringly. "We'll get through this. It'll be okay."

The three stayed there with their arms around each other for what felt like an eternity. Healers and visitors walked around them as life continued to pass them by, but at the same time the world seemed to stand still. It wasn't until the double ER doors opened that they pulled apart. A male healer walked over to them with an unreadable expression.

"Please tell us he's is alright," Ron begged.

The healer looked skeptical, "We've done everything we can for him. It took forever to get his bleeding to stop but it finally has. He lost a great deal of blood and his magical reserves are dangerously low which means he's very week. No matter what we do we can't seem to get him to open his eyes. He doesn't' respond to light or even pain stimulation. The good news is that his brain activity is still really good and he is breathing on his own without any heroic measures. Now he may just be too weak to open his eyes right now. This could be from the battle or it could be from some other kind of curse."

"He was hit with a curse," Lily told him, struggling to get to her feet. "It was meant for me…He pushed me from behind."

"Do you remember what curse?" The healer asked with intent.

Again, Lily searched her mind, "I can't remember. It's all a bit fuzzy. I'm sorry." She rubbed the back of her head tenderly and was startled to see she was still bleeding.

The healer patted her on the shoulder. "When we're done here I need you to go get checked out, do you hear me? We'll talk to other aurors at the scene and see if they heard anything."

"But he will wake up?" Hermione implied, bringing the topic of conversation back to Jack. "When he gets some of his energy back?"

The healer looked skeptical, "We hope."

Hermione's face screwed up in anger. "That is my son in there, so I don't want to hear 'we hope so!'" She screamed at the top of her lungs, taking a threatening step towards the healer.

Ron stepped behind her and pulled her back to him. "It's not his fault, love. Yelling won't help anyone, least of all our son."

Lily watched as her godparents comforted each other. The healer however turned back to her. "You're Lily Potter aren't you?" he asked, stepping towards her.

"Yes," she said, having to focus very hard to form an audible word.

"Do you remember me? You assisted me in a procedure last weekend?" He asked trying to get her attention.

"I…um…," she mumbled closing her eyes and trying to focus. She knew she felt someone's hand on the small of her back trying to steady her. It was almost like she was having an out of body experience.

"Lily, can you hear me?" the healer asked with concern. He turned around to the nurse sitting at the desk a few meters away and yelled, "I need a stretcher over here, now!"

She felt her body stagger backwards. Vaguely, she heard the healer ask her if she was okay again but this time it was almost as if he was talking from the other side of a long tunnel. Slowly she was overcome by exhaustion and felt her body fall to the ground.

"Oh Merlin!" Hermione cried as she and Ron helped the healer get Lily onto the stretcher that had been brought over.

"What's wrong with her?" Ron demanded to know.

"I don't know, Sir," the healer said as he made a light appear on the tip of his wand. He held Lily's eye lids open one at the time. "Has she been tired lately? Acting strangely?"

Ron and Hermione looked at each other and Ron spoke for the two of them, "No more than usual, but Jack is the one who would really know. He's…he's the one who be able to tell you."

"Well unfortunately I don't have that option," the healer said with a touch of annoyance in his voice. "Who is she to you?"

"Our son's fiancée and our goddaughter!" Hermione said, growing angry again.

"And do you have the authority to make medical decisions for her until her father is here?" the healer asked as he continued to look Lily over and check her vitals. Now she was barely conscious at all and clearly not aware of her surroundings.

"Yes, we do," Ron said taking Lily's hand and giving it a squeeze. "Its okay, sweetheart, you're going to be fine."

"Lily," the healer said getting her attention. "Tell me how many fingers I'm holding up." The man held out four fingers on his right hand in front of Lily's face.

She squinted her eyes as if she was trying to see a mountaintop off in the far distance. She said nothing, and only shook her head.

"No response," the healer indicated to the nurse who was taking notes behind him.

"What does that mean?" Hermione asked.

"Lady, I'm going to have to ask you to step aside," the healer chastised.

"I will do no such thing!" Hermione fired back, standing her ground.

"Lily, squeeze my hands," the healer asked taking hold of both of her hands. After a few moments he spoke again to the nurse, "Weak on both sides."

"Could she have been hit with a curse also?" The healer asked Ron.

"I don't know… I wasn't there, but I suppose she could have been," Ron said, watching Lily get paler and paler by the second.

"We're going to take her back to have a better look," the healer said, rolling the stretcher to the double ER doors. "You'll have to wait here."

"Someone will come speak to you about her and your son as soon as we know anything," the nurse consoled, sensing their worry.

"Get her father here," the healer yelled over his shoulder. "Now."

A/N- Wouldn't you like to know what happs! Please tell me what you think! Also, I'd just like to say thank you to my wonderful beta who tooks time out of her busy days to read all my chapters! You rock!


	12. Chapter Twelve: Victory or Defeat

A/N- Okay, I'm updating now because I think you all might kill me if I don't. This chaper has more of a resolution at the end so you all should be happy. It is a transition chapter so there is not as much going on. It may take me a week or so to get the next chapters out because I just sent them to my beta today, but in the meantime enjoy this one!

Chapter Twelve: Victory or Defeat

When she came to, the first thing Lily noticed was that she was lying in a comfortable bed. If it weren't for the pain in the back of her head and her fatigue, she would have thought she was in Jack's bed at home, safe and sound. Looking around, she was in some kind of private room. There was a potions tray beside her bed and everything in sight was sterile white. She struggled to sit upright so she could go see where Jack was—until two strong hands pushed her back down.

"Lily, you can't get up yet."

"Daddy?" she asked, not being able to adjust her eyes to the harsh light.

"Yes, I'm right here. You need to calm down and relax," he said, taking her hand.

"Jack…where is he?"

"There's been no change," Harry admitted. "But he's no worse either."

"This is all my fault," she proclaimed, looking him in the eye. He was wearing a sweatshirt and old jeans, and looked weary.

"No, this isn't your fault," he told her in an even tone of voice. "It's no one's fault but the death eater who cursed him. You need to understand that."

"Dad, that curse was meant for me! He knocked me to the ground and took it for me!"

"Lily, he would have done anything to prevent you from getting hurt. Just as you would do for him," Harry tried to reason.

"Where is he?" she asked, looking around.

He brushed some of the hair off her forehead and said gently, "He's in another ward. You're Aunt and Uncle are with him."

"You have to let me go see him," she said, trying again to stand up.

Harry pushed her back down. "No, honey, you have to get checked out by a healer. Ginny just went to go find someone when we saw you were waking up."

"Dad, I'm fine," she tried to tell him, but he cut her off with a stern look.

"Lily, you are not fine. You hit your head pretty hard, and you passed out in the lobby. I can tell by looking at you that you're weak. What I'd like to know is what happened to your neck and back," he said, watching her face to see if her emotions would get the better of her. He had a hunch that something else was going on.

Lily struggled to at least sit in a sitting position, which her father reluctantly helped her into. She didn't meet his eyes as she explained, "A death eater tackled me to the ground just after Jack was hurt. He had his hands around my neck for a few seconds before he cursed me and left. I must have hurt my back sometime during the battle."

"Cursed you?" Harry asked, clearly alarmed. He knew she hadn't been acting right. Her color was off and she looked like she had absolutely no energy. "What curse?"

"I don't remember," she said truthfully. "I don't remember much about what happened. It gets blurrier the more I try to remember."

"Look at me, sweetheart," Harry asked raising her chin upward. He looked deep into her eyes saw her affliction and anger. But he also saw fear and embarrassment. Before he could press her for more information however, Ginny returned with a friendly looking female healer.

"Hello Lily," the healer said, smiling at her kindly. "I don't know if you remember me, but I supervised you a few months ago."

Lily nodded and returned her smile. "Of course I remember you, Healer Dodger. It's nice to see you again."

"I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances," Healer Dodger said regrettably. "Would you like me to ask your parents to leave the room while I question you before your exam?"

Lily looked over at the two of them, knowing in her heart that the truth was going to come out and she'd rather have a healer tell them then have to tell them herself. "No, they can stay if that's alright with you."

"I've been cleared by the auror department and the Ministry of Magic to be your healer as well as Jack's," she told them as she pulled out her wand and walked over to the bed. "I've been informed of your past medical history. I know about the dreams you've experienced in the past and I also know about the other attacks you've suffered from recently. Now if you've had one of these attacks recently, you need to tell me now."

"I had one this afternoon," she admitted, not meeting her father's probing eye.

Healer Dodger nodded her head and jotted that note down on Lily's chart. "Now when you have these attacks, do you physically feel pain?"

"Yes."

"Do you have bruises?"

"Yes."

"What do they feel like when they happen? When they first set in."

"It feels like someone is pulling my body somewhere else against my will," Lily explained. "Its kind of like being one place one minute, and apparating somewhere else."

"What about the dreams? Are they the same?"

"Well, usually the dreams are just memories of things that happened in the past," Lily explained vaguely. "The attacks are new memories. Things that haven't happened before. It's almost like being projected somewhere."

"I see," she said writing more notes. "I'm going to cast just some regular check-up charms and see how your vitals are doing," she said before waving her wand over Lily's body and muttering under her breath. For several silent seconds, no one said or did anything. When the healer pulled her wand back into her pocket she looked somewhat conflicted. She shot Harry and Ginny a tense look before addressing Lily again. "Are you sure you don't want me to ask them to leave?"

Harry felt Ginny take his hand as they stood on the opposite side of the bed from the healer. He looked down at her and saw she seemed to be holding her breath. He let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders. He pulled her as close to his side as possible; just as much for her comfort as for his own.

"I'm sure," Lily said looking down to her hands in her lap. "They're going to find out sooner or later."

Healer Dodger nodded solemnly. "Lily, I have to ask…have you and Jack had sexual intercourse in the last 24 hours?"  
Fighting against tears Lily shook her head, "No. Not since Christmas." Under different circumstances, she probably would have been insanely embarrassed to admit this in the presence of her father, but it really didn't seem to matter at the moment.

"Did Draco Malfoy rape you in the attack you had earlier today?" She asked as gently as possible.

Lily couldn't help but look up at her father before answering. He was looking away from her with glazed eyes. She waited several seconds, silently hoping that he'd look at her, but he didn't. Finally she answered the healer in a voice just above a whisper. "Yes."

"Well, I can see from the charm that your body has physical signs of rape. Did he use a contraceptive charm?"

"No, he didn't."

"Are you on a birth control potion?"

"I am, but I didn't take it this morning. I…didn't think I'd need it," she said looking ashamed.

"It's okay, dear. I'm going to have you take a potion to prevent pregnancy. I need to examine you thoroughly now so I'll ask Ginny and Harry to wait outside for a few minutes."

Harry and Ginny nodded, both looking completely stunned. Ginny kissed her forehead, "It's going to be alright. We'll be just outside."

Lily nodded her head but didn't look up. She looked up expecting to see her father standing there with some words of comfort, but he wasn't there. He seemed to have slipped out of the room undetected.

* * *

Harry stormed out of his daughter's hospital room and tore down the hallway on a mission. He walked to the healers' station and got the attention of the first person he saw, "Excuse me, can anyone tell me if Dennis O'Connor has returned with more victims?"

"Yes," a young male healer informed him. "He's in the family waiting area just down the hall third door on the right hand side."

Harry nodded his gratitude and walked quickly down the hall. He spotted the doorway he was looking for and walked in. There were several different families clustered together. He saw Dennis sitting with a couple of other aurors.

He walked over to them with a determined look on his face. "O'Conner, can I have a word with you outside?"

Dennis looked up, somewhat startled to see him. "Harry, is Lily alright? I heard she collapsed after I left."

"No, not really. I need to speak with you about something," he said again.

"Sure," Dennis finally said, standing up and leading the way. They walked just outside the waiting room before they turned to face each other. "What is it?"

Harry clinched his fist, trying very hard not to take his anger out on the wrong person. "I want to make something very clear to you. From now on I want to be made aware of all the department's tips on Draco Malfoy and Richard Luis. I want to know what you know. And when there is a lead on where they are, I am going with you to take him in personally. Frankly, I don't care if this means I have to quit my job at Hogwarts and return as an auror full time until we find him. I want that bastard to rot in hell for what he's done to my daughter."

Dennis looked somewhat stunned at Harry's sudden outburst but recovered nicely. "Usually we don't do this, Harry. You know that. But for you I'll make an exception. I'll put you on active status with the auror department again, but I'm not going to require that you work with us on anything other than the Malfoy case. I know there are things you know about Lily' connection with Draco, and I know you're keeping them from me. I understand that it's hard to trust someone in my position so I'll humor you, but if we're going to catch this guy we're going to have to find some middle ground. You may even be able to help speed up the process."

"Thank you," Harry said, more grateful than he sounded.

"Has Jack woken up yet?" Dennis asked apprehensively.

"No," Harry replied, trying to sort through things in his head and not really paying attention to what Dennis was saying any longer.

"Tell Lily we're all pulling for him."

"I will," Harry promised, before walking back down the hallway.

The walk back to Lily's room seemed a lot longer than it had going in the other direction. He knew he needed to tell Lily the whole truth about who her mother really was. He needed to have Hermione help him figure out what curse Malfoy was using. He needed…

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" His head shoot up in the direction of the scream to see his wife standing there with her hands on her hips looking completely infuriated. "What in Merlin's name did you think you were doing? You should have seen the look on Lily's face when she realized you'd just walked out like that! As if she isn't ashamed enough!"

Harry could have kicked himself. He hadn't even thought about what leaving like that would do to her. He'd just been so set on getting out of there before he made something explode.

"I'm sorry, Gin. I just had to get out of there," he said lamely.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to!" Ginny looked at him unsympathetically before she took pity on him, and walked over to hug him close. "I know this is hard on you. You've got to be strong for her. She needs you."

"I know," he whispered as he buried his face deeper into her shoulder. Several seconds later he glanced over her head and saw Ron walking towards them. He looked worse than Harry had ever seen him look, and seeing as how the two had been through a war together that was certainly saying something. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was a mess, and his neck was scratched as if he'd been clawing at it due to nerves.

"No change," Ron said, leaning heavily against the wall. "I think I was driving Hermione crazy so she sent me here to find out how Lily is doing."

Just then Healer Dodger came out. "You may see her now," she said kindly.

"How is she?" Harry asked.

"She's very weak. She needs bed rest and plenty of sleep over the next week or so. Her reserves are low as well, which worries me. I don't know what curse they used on her so unfortunately we're going to have to wait it out and see if there are any side effects. I've done a full exam and I don't see anything out of the ordinary that would point to one curse or another. I'm going to be informing the auror department that she's not to work for at least two weeks. She's not working here either, don't worry I'll let the hospital know. She's asking to go see Jack, but I told her that would be up to you. If she goes you need to be careful that she doesn't fall and hurt herself. I've done a rape kit which I will turn over to Magical Law Enforcement," she assured, before walking back to the Healers' Station.

If Ron looked worried before, he looked horrified now. Ginny sensed his distress and spoke up, "Harry, go in and see her. I'll fill Ron in on what's happened."

Harry nodded in understanding and walked through the doorway to see his daughter lying on the bed with her back to the door. She was curled up into a tight ball with her knees held tightly by her arms. He approached her slowly, not wanting to frighten her anymore than she already was. Walking around to the other side of the bed, he smiled down at her in what he hoped was a comforting way.

"Hey," he said, getting her attention.

"Hi," she said. She met his eye and didn't try to hide her tears.

He took a seat in the chair by her bed and took her hand. "Are you okay?" He asked.

She squeezed his hand, "I'll survive."

"It's okay to admit when you need help."

"I'm sorry if I've disappointed you," she said, wiping back tears.

"You could never disappoint me, honey. What would make you think you had?" He waited for her reply but it never came. He sighed deeply before moving on. "Lily, you really should have told me what happened today before you let it get this far."

"Dad, it was your wedding day. I didn't want to be the one to ruin it."

"Lily, you need to understand that you're my daughter. I've worried about you your whole life. That's my job."

Strangely enough, Lily smiled at his comment. "You sound like Jack."

"Jack's a good man. He loves you," Harry reminded her.

"We had a fight tonight," she admitted, looking away and remembering the events.

"About what?"

"You," she said vaguely.

"What about me?" he asked in confusion.

"Jack figured out what happened this afternoon. I asked him to promise me that he wouldn't tell you about it, but he said he couldn't do that. He said you deserved to know."

"He was right," he said, brushing some hair off her face.

"We yelled at each other. I don't want the last memory I have of him to be a meaningless fight. I can't loose him, Dad. You have to take me to see him," she pleaded.

"Lily, you're not strong enough," he said, looking at her frail and pale body in the sea of white sheets. "The healers don't know what curse they used on you, and frankly you haven't recovered from your encounter with Devon yet. You've got to be careful."

"You call that an encounter? Dad, I killed a man!" she said angrily, glaring at him.

"You did what you had to do," he told her firmly, matching her facial expression with one of his own.

"Dad, Jack has always been there for me when I needed him. Now it's my turn. He needs me and I'm going to go to him whether you help me or not," she informed him.

"Where do you get your defiance?" Harry asked rhetorically.

"Are you going to help me or not?" she asked again.

Harry turned around and found the hospital dressing robe draped over the back of the chair. He helped her sit up and wrapped the gown around her shoulders. They had put a hospital gown on her to get rid of her blood stained clothes, but the gown was hardly warm enough. He eased her off the bed and onto her feet. She swayed dangerously and he held her back to his chest to keep her from falling.

"Do you want me to carry you?" he asked.

"No, I'm just a little dizzy," she said as they started to walk towards the door.

The trip was slow and awkward, but they eventually made it into the hallway where Ginny and Ron were standing. Ginny had clearly just finished telling Ron about the new developments, because he had a completely stunned expression on his face which he managed to cover up poorly when he saw Lily.

"Hey there, kiddo," he said, smiling at her. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"She's bound and determined to see that son of yours," Harry explained.

"You think that's a good idea?" Ron asked, looking at how weak she clearly was.

"No, but you know she's a Potter. Never listens to reason," Harry joked.

"Sounds familiar," Ginny said, walking to Lily's other side and taking her hand.

Their progress was painfully slow. Harry knew the healer wasn't joking when she said Lily was weak. They had to stop three times for her to catch her breath. Eventually they made it to Jack's floor and all the way to his doorway where they found Hermione sitting on the ground against the wall with her head in her hands. She heard them coming and looked up.

"I just couldn't stand to sit there and look at him like that anymore," she explained through tears and sobs. "I'm a horrible mother."

Ron rushed to her side and sat down with her. He pulled her to him and let her cry on his shoulder. "No, you're a wonderful mother. It'd be hard for any mother to look at her child hurt like that and not be able to help him. Its okay, love, he'll wake up now. Lily is here. If anyone can bring him out of this she can."

Hermione stood up and embraced Lily as only a mother could. "He'll come back for you. I know he will," she said desperately. When Hermione stepped away from her, Lily stumbled back into Harry's chest from physical and emotional exhaustion. He steadied her by wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"I'll do my best, Aunt Hermione," Lily said honestly.

"We know you will," Ron said, now standing behind his wife.

Harry guided Lily into the dimly lit room and around the curtain which shielded Jack from the view of people passing by in the hallway. He couldn't help but gasp at the sight before him. Jack was lying flat on his back, his arms at his sides and a blank expression on his face. Again he felt Lily stumble in his arms.

"I don't think you're ready for this," Harry thought out loud.

"I'll be alright when I sit down," she whispered.

Harry sighed and led her around the bed to the chair. He watched as she stared at Jack for several seconds before she tenderly reached out and took his hand.

"Can he hear us?" Harry asked, thinking she might know from her healer training.

"Maybe," she said, clearly holding back tears. "It depends on how deep his coma is."

They were silent for a few minutes before Lily suddenly asked, "Dad, will you please hand me his chart? It's at the end of his bed." She never took her eyes off Jack's face. Once Harry handed her the chart, he watched her open it on her lap with her free hand. Perhaps he should have left them alone, but he didn't want her to collapse or something and not have anyone there to help her.

"They've given him a blood replenishing poison. He's vitals are on the weak side but that shouldn't prevent him from waking up," she read.

"Maybe he just needs a little coaxing," Harry suggested.

Lily nodded, put the chart down on the tray beside her, and leaned forward to caress his cheek. "Jack, can you hear me?"

No response.

"We're all here waiting for you. Your mom's losing her mind out in the hallway. There is no medical reason that you can't just open up those beautiful blue eyes. Please Jack…I…" she paused to look up at Harry who now had tears in his eyes. She looked back down at him again and let her own tears fall. "I need you to wake up, Jack. I can't do this without you. I need you," she repeated in his ear.

When Jack remained silent and motionless, Harry could tell Lily was about to loose hope. "Keep talking to him," he encouraged.

Lily nodded and took a deep breath. "When I was in that cell of Malfoy's, you were the only thing I thought about. I remember leaning against the wall there just before you all came and got me, and I remember wondering if you would still want me after all that Malfoy had done to me. But then there you were, looking at me the way you always have and I knew everything would be okay. I knew I still had something in my life worth fighting for. Jack, please, you have to wake up. Come back to me."

Harry had to blink when he saw Jack's eyebrows twitch in order to determine if he'd imagined it or not. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Jack squeeze Lily's hand and open his mouth to take a deep breath. He turned on his heel to go get Ron, Hermione, and Ginny from the hallway. By the time he got back, Jack was moving his legs, only a little bit but it was still movement.

Lily was still talking to him. "Open your eyes, Jack. I need you to open your eyes."

Jack still had his eyes closed, but he spoke in a raspy voice, "Lily."

Ron stepped forward and patted his son's shoulder. "She's right here, Jack. Open your eyes and you can see for yourself."

That was all the encouragement he needed. Jack opened his eyes slowly having to adjust to the dim light. He focused on the ceiling for a few seconds before turning his head towards Lily.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, managing a smile.

Lily smiled back at him and kissed the back of his hand. "I think you've gone blind," she joked, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I must look a fright."

"Not to me," he told her, raising his hand with great effort to cup her cheek with his palm. She leaned into his hand lovingly, and they locked eyes for several seconds as Jack tried to search for something inside her.

"We almost lost you tonight," she whispered as her eyes filled with tears for the hundredth time in the last few hours.

Jack shook his head dismissively, "Can't get rid of me that easily."

Lily opened her mouth to give a reply but no words came out, and instead tears fell from her eyes running rivers down her face.

"Don't cry, love," Jack soothed. "You're so much prettier when you smile." She nodded and offered him the best smile she could. "That's my girl," he said, wiping her tears away.

There was silence again until Lily looked over to where their parents were still standing there looking at them. "You had us all worried there for a while," she told him, gesturing to his mother and father.

"Sorry, guys," Jack apologized.

"Oh honey, we're so glad you're okay," Hermione said, leaning down to give her son a hug.

"I'm fine, Mum," Jack assured her.

"You're brothers are in a right state," Ron told him. "They'll be glad to know you're okay."

"Tell them I love them, will you?" Jack asked sincerely.

"We will," Hermione replied.

Jack looked at Harry and Ginny, "Sorry to ruin your wedding night."

Ginny shook her head, but Harry answered for them both, "Don't think about it, son. We're just thrilled that you're going to be okay."

Healer Dodger walked in the room unexpectedly. She looked at Lily, "I see you made it up here. And it seems you've gotten Jack here to finally rejoin the land of the living."

"Lily is the best medicine," Jack told her confidently.

"I can see that," she said kindly, looking at the two young lovers. "And it appears she's your guardian angel, Mr. Weasley. If Lily hadn't thought quickly and used what she's learned as a healer, you wouldn't have made it."

Jack lifted Lily's chin so she would look at him. "Thanks for coaching me," he said grinning.

"Don't mention it," she said lightheartedly.

"If you ask me, she's wasting her time as an auror. Her true calling is to be a healer. She's got the touch," Healer Dodger said, trying to catch Lily's eye. "Do you plan on sticking with it after you graduate? You will be years ahead of everyone your age and could even practice in your own right in a year or two."

"I'd love to get Lily away from the fighting," Jack said seriously, ignoring her dark expression.

"Me too," Harry agreed. "I'd like to see both of you away from the fighting.

"We'll see how things turn these next few months," Lily told them, ending the topic of conversation.

The healer returned to the issue of their health. "You both need your rest," the healer said firmly, "I don't want Lily running up here to see you all the time during the next few hours so I've taken the liberty of having a bed moved up here for her to use. You both can go home probably tomorrow morning."

Lily was confused for a few seconds until she looked out the window to see the sun was already starting to kiss the horizon in the distance. It was Sunday morning.

"But the holiday is over," Jack pointed out. "Term starts on Monday."

"Not for your two," Hermione said sternly. "You're both not to work for the next two weeks. You will stay here until they release you, and then you're going to be staying with Harry and Ginny until you've gotten your strength back. I don't even want you near Hogwarts until that time. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Jack and Lily said together, sounding strangely like small children again. The healer waved her hand, and a bed appeared just a few feet away from Jack's.

"We should get going," Ron announced, looking at Hermione. "The boys will be worried. We need to tell them they're big brother is alright."

"You're right," Hermione agreed. "We'll be back later on today," she assured them, kissing Jack on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Mum," Jack said, despite the fact that it was indeed already morning.

"Goodnight, Jack," Ron said, patting him softly on the shoulder.

"Ginny and I will stay for a few minutes. We'll make sure they get to sleep," Harry told them.

"Thanks, mate," Ron said, clapping Harry on the back.

Hermione and Ron both walked around the bed to give Lily a hug. Ron smirked and said to Lily, "Thanks for convincing Jack to wake up."

"He's always been stubborn," Lily said, winking at Jack.

"That he is. Goodnight sweetheart," Ron said, also kissing her forehead.

Lily bid everyone goodnight, and Ron and Hermione left for home. Ginny sat down in another chair at the foot of Jack's bed. The healer was looking over Jack's chart and checking his vitals. Harry noticed Lily's eyes drop several times as she gazed over at Jack.

"Bedtime," Harry said, walking over to Lily's chair.

"I know," she said, leaning over and kissing Jack's forehead. She stood up a little too quickly and started to fall, and Harry had to act fast to catch her before she hit the ground. Jack had tried to sit up in a futile attempt to help her but groaned loudly and was forced back down the bed by Ginny and Healer Dodger.

"You're not quite up to that yet, dear," the healer advised.

When Harry looked down at Lily in his arms he saw her eyes were closed. He looked over at Healer Dodger who was watching with concern.

"Why don't you just put her in bed," Healer Dodger suggested. "I'll start her on some strengthening potions when she wakes up."

"Is this normal?" Harry asked, standing up with his daughter in his arms and laying her down in bed. He pulled the covers up to her chin and looked over at Jack who appeared to be both concerned, and in some amount of pain.

"No, I'm afraid it's not normal. I'm going to be running some more tests while she's here. I'll know more then," the healer told them. "Now, Jack, I've got some potions here you need to take." Jack made an unpleasant face but nodded obediently. The healer looked at Harry, "Will you please help me sit him up, Mr. Potter?"

"Sure," Harry said, stepping to the side of Jack's bed opposite from where the healer was standing. They each took one of his arms and helped him into a sitting position so he could take the potions. Harry heard Jack exhale sharply and grab his side. He was trying desperately to hide his pain.

"How is the pain, Jack?" the healer asked.

"I'm fine," Jack claimed weakly.

"No he isn't," Harry contested. "Jack, if you're in pain you need to say something."

Again, Jack made a face. "I hate taking pain potions. I don't like how they make me feel."

The healer explained, "The pain is only going to get worse and worse until the potion will no longer take the edge away."

Jack still looked skeptical until Harry told him, "If for nothing else take it for Lily. You heard it yourself from her own mouth. She needs you."

Finally Jack took the potion and the healer left them in peace. He already looked groggy as Ginny helped him lay back down. "I take it she told you what happened?" Jack asked looking at Harry.

"The healer found it really," Harry informed him. "We only found out by default."

"Is she alright?" Jack asked, looking over at Lily, who was still asleep in the same position Harry had put her in.

"No, she's not alright," Harry said sternly. "It's going to be a rough couple of days. She and I need to have a heart to heart about some things and I don't think she's going to take it all that well. I'm going to need your help."

"I'll be there," Jack said, now sounding distant and very sleepy.

"Not now, sleep now," Ginny said soothingly. That was the only encouragement Jack needed to close his eyes and drift off into the oblivion.

* * *

The sun was already high in the sky by the time Harry and Ginny got back to their house. They walked into the house through the front door, climbed up the stairs, and down the hall to their master bedroom. The room was just as they'd left it when Harry received the unexpected owl in the middle of the night. Neither of them said anything as they fell into bed and into each others arms. Ginny's head rested in the middle of Harry's chest.

Several minutes later, Ginny broke the suffocating silence. "I think Jack and Lily are two of the oldest seventeen year olds I know."

Harry sighed and ran his hand over her back absentmindedly. "I always thought the generation behind us would have it a lot easier than we did. No war to worry about and no psycho mass-murderer running around killing people. I thought their world would be safer," he mused distantly.

"Most of them do have it a lot easier than we did," Ginny reminded him.

"Yes, but why does it have to be my daughter and my godson that have it rough?"

"I don't know, love."

"I'm going to talk to Lily when they are released from the hospital," he told her suddenly.

Ginny moved off his chest to prop her head up on her elbow and look down at him. "What exactly are you going to tell her?"

"Everything," Harry said vaguely. "I should have told her about it all months ago, but I didn't. I don't know what I've been protecting her from, but it clearly isn't working. Its time she knows what we're dealing with. She needs to know that Malfoy isn't just targeting her randomly or even because she's my daughter. She needs to be prepared for what might happen. I sent Hedwig up to Hogwarts to tell McGonagall about what happened. She said that she'd handle my classes for me this week if I need the time off."

"Do you think that will be necessary?"

"No, hopefully I can get back by the end of the week. But, love, I don't think she's going to take this all to well. Lily doesn't like secrets and this one is pretty big."

Ginny nodded in affirmation. "Have you talked to Hermione about researching old pure blood family curses?"

"No, not yet. I kind of wanted to tell Lily about this before I went to Ron and Hermione for help. I don't know….maybe I'm just scared that we'll find out that there is nothing we can do to stop what he's doing to her."

"Knowledge is power, Harry. The more we know about our enemy, the better we can fight him. Even if we can't stop what's happening to her by reversing the curse, we may be able to help Lily deal with it more and maybe even help her learn how to fight it."

Harry reached over and pulled her to him so he could kiss her properly. "Why is it that you always know exactly what to say to make me feel better?" he asked when he pulled away.

"It's a gift," Ginny said smugly.

"I love you Ginny Potter," he said, fighting the urge to close his eyes and fall into unconsciousness.

"I love you too," she said, reaching over and smoothing the hairs off his forehead. It didn't take long for him to give in to beckoning sleep.

A/N- Please review!


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Almost Doesn’t Count

A/N- Here's the next chapter. This chapter is somewhat of a transition. Pay attention though, there are some important details.

Chapter Thirteen: Almost Doesn't Count

When Jack woke up again, the sun was already setting. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept through the entire day. Looking around, he saw the door to the room was closed, blocking out the harsh light in the hallway. He could hear people talking near the door as they walked past. The pain in his side and chest was growing the more his body woke up, and he knew the pain potion he'd taken hours ago had worn off.

"Jack," a voice said from a few feet away. He looked over and saw Lily rolled on her side, looking over at him with sleepy eyes.

"Hey," he said huskily.

"Are you in pain?" she asked, noticing his discomfort.

"It's bearable," Jack assured her.

Lily sat up in bed and dangled her legs over the side.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"You need to take some more pain potion," she said, and hopped down to the ground. Her knees buckled in the sudden weight, and she almost fell over again. Luckily, Jack happened to be staring at the ceiling so he didn't catch her little mishap. Walking over to the potions tray, she began looking through the various potions to find what she needed.

"Did Mum and Dad not make it back?" Jack wondered, now studying her carefully.

"They were here for a little while, but you were sound asleep so they only stayed for a little while before they left," she explained.

"Have they calmed down?"

"Jack, they almost lost their son. It makes sense that they're upset. But yes, they were a bit calmer."

Jack looked at her meaningfully before asking, "Are you calmer?"

Lily stopped what she was doing and stepped closer to the bed. "You shouldn't have done what you did."

"What, take a curse for you?" Jack asked innocently.

"This isn't a joke! You almost died!" she reminded him pointedly.

"Almost doesn't count," Jack joked, trying to make her laugh. He could tell that she wasn't in the mood when her face turned red in anger. "Okay okay. Look I'm not going to apologize for what I did. I'd do it again in an instant."

She stepped away from him and put her hands on her hips. "Are you asking me to hex you into next week? Or do you actually think this amuses me?"

"And just what would have happened if I hadn't taken the curse for you?" he challenged. "You would have gotten hurt and then where would we be? I'm no healer, and I know I would have had no idea how to help you. You would have bled to death. We both know that."

"I…hadn't thought about it that way," she admitted, though she was clearly still angry.

He couldn't help but laugh at how much she reminded him of his grandmum. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you angry. Come here," he said, patting his chest and motioning for her lay down with him.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said reluctantly. "You need to take your potion and go back to sleep."

"Lily Potter, didn't you hear me tell the healer that you're good medicine? Now get in this bed with me so I can hold you and take my mind off all this for a little while!" he demanded, opening up the covers for her and carefully moving over to make room. When she finally did crawl into bed with him, she stayed a few inches away. Lying on her side, she rested one hand on his chest and looked up at him with large, sad eyes. Jack sighed and pulled her closer with his arm. Finally, she settled her head on his shoulder and seemed to relax.

"It's going to be alright. We're both fine, that's all that matters," he whispered against her hair, kissing the top of her head.

"This time," she corrected, "We are both fine this time. But what about next time, Jack? How much longer can we keep this up? How many more times can we cheat death?"

"You tell me," he dared.

"It just seems to wrong to leave right now when they need us most. Tonight only proved that more."

"They're always going to need aurors, Lil. But I think you need to accept that it isn't your personal responsibility to take on all the evil in the world. It's okay to admit that there are some things you should just stay out of."

"You sure aren't one to talk," she accused.

He couldn't help but admit that she had a point there. "Okay, I don't want to fight with you. All I want is for you to get some rest. You look beat."

"You didn't take your potion," she remembered, sitting up to get it—only to be pulled back down.

"I don't care about the potion. The pain isn't that bad. Now lie down and close your eyes. Please?"

"Alright."

Jack let go of the breath he didn't know he'd been holding when Lily's breathing stabilized and he knew she'd gone to sleep. He remained awake for only a few lingering seconds before he too joined her in getting some rest.

* * *

Jack and Lily were woken up abruptly by an angry voice right outside their door, "You can't go in there!" 

"Yes we can," a male voice answered before he barged into the room, causing both the teenagers to jump.

There were three men, all wearing ministry robes and a seal on the front reading "Medical Studies." Healer Dodger was right behind them looking very put out.

"Who are you?" Jack asked, his voice thick with sleep.

All the men ignored his question and looked at Lily.

"Are you Lillian Potter?" one of them asked importantly.

"No, I'm Lily Potter," she corrected smartly.

"You need to come with us," the man who asked the first question told her. He walked over to the bed and yanked Lily up by her arm.

"Wait a minute!" Jack said heatedly. He sat up despite the pain. "Where are you taking her?"

"That's none of your business," the man said, turning up his nose.

"I'm afraid it is my business! She's my fiancée and I want to know where you're taking her!"

"We have a warrant to take her and observe some of her symptoms." The man tightened his grip on Lily's arm and pulled her towards the door.

The healer stepped to block their way. "You have no authority to do this. This girl has been through quite a lot in the past few days and she is in my care. I've been cleared by the auror department to look after her and Jack and I intend to do just that. I believe an order from the auror department trumps something from Medical Studies."

Another of the mysterious men spoke up. "We have ministry approval. She'll be returned in the morning."

"You can't do this!" the healer said loudly, but not moving.

Jack somehow managed to stand up only to fall back down the ground in a painful heap. Lily tried to go help but the man still had a hold of her arm. Jack found his feet and stood up on his own. "Let her go!"

"Afraid I can't do that," the man said, pushing Healer Dodger out of the way and into the hall. The other two men stayed behind to make sure Jack and the healer didn't try to follow. They stood there with their wands out as if they were holding criminals at bay.

"Jack! Get a hold of my dad!" he heard Lily yell as they pulled her further down the hallway.

Healer Dodger walked over to Jack and helped him sit down on the edge of the bed. "You can go," she told the men. "He sure isn't going anywhere. But make no mistake; I will be filing a formal complaint."

"Do what you want," one of them said before they both walked swiftly out of the door.

"I need to go get her father," Jack said, struggling to get away from the healer.

The healer held on tighter and shook her head, "No, I'll let him know, you have to stay here."

"No way am I staying here! Harry's going to kill me as it is for letting them take her!"

"There was nothing we could do," she said, looking at the warrant the men had left behind. "This is signed by the Minister of Magic."

"I don't care if it's signed by the Pope! I've got to get to Harry!" Jack repeated again, trying to stand and again nearly falling over.

"_No_, I'll get him. You stay here," the healer said, leaving the room before Jack even had the chance to argue.

* * *

"Mr. Potter! Mrs. Potter!"

"What's that noise?" Harry asked, sitting up in bed and causing Ginny to roll off his chest and onto her back.

"It's coming from the fireplace," Ginny said. They both looked at each other before bolting up in bed and running through the hallway, down the stairs, and into the living room. There they found the very disgruntled face of Jack and Lily's healer in their fireplace.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Harry asked, running possible scenarios through his head.

"Mr. Potter, three Medical Studies officials just stormed in here a few minutes ago and took Lily with them with a warrant."

Harry opened his mouth but Ginny beat him to it, "You didn't stop them!"

"There was nothing Jack or I could do. He's in no position to fight them off and they've got a piece of paper signed by the Minister of Magic. They said she'd be released from their custody in the morning. But sir, I've been looking into what cures was possibly used on Lily and if it is what I think it is, she could be in real trouble. If she slips into an attack or has a dream, she might not have the mental or physical strength to fight her way out of it. She needs rest, not questioning."

Harry and Ginny exchanged worried looks before Harry quickly came up with a plan. "Okay, with all due respect I would like to have my godson released into Ginny's care. She'll contact his parents. They wanted him and Lily sent her anyway once the hospital released them. I'll take care of getting my daughter."

"I'm very sorry, sir," Healer Dodger said regretfully.

"Its okay, thank you for coming to tell us so soon," Harry told her reassuringly. "I know Jack's got to be upset. Tell him I'm taking care of it and that his godmother will be there to take him home soon."

"I will," she said determinedly before her head disappeared.

Harry stood up and faced Ginny. "Love, will you please get a hold of Dennis O'Conner and tell him what's going on. Tell him I may need his help to get her out of there."

"Alright."

"Then get Jack out of the hospital and set him up in one of the bedrooms. I know he'll never rest with Lily gone, but at least try to get him to stay calm."

"I'll take care of it, Harry. You just worry about Lily."

Smiling at her in spite of the mounting stress he felt in his chest, he kissed her briefly on the lips and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too, now go!"

He nodded and with a loud POP, he was gone.

* * *

"Jack!" Ginny said as she ran in to his hospital room at top speed.

Jack sat up in bed, though he couldn't hide the wince in his face as he did so. "Aunt Gin! Where's Harry?"

"He went to go give those guys that took Lily some hell. I'm here to take you home," she said, pulling his covers back and helping him to turn so his legs were over the side of the bed.

"I need to go help him," Jack protested.

She shook her head and handed him his jumper, "No, you need to come with me back to our house in Hogsmade so I can take care of you. We'll wait for Lily and Harry there."

"She's right," Healer Dodger said as she unexpectedly came trotting into the room. "You need to rest and take these potions. I can tell by looking at your face that you haven't had a pain draught since I made you take it hours ago."

Ginny looked at Jack's face and instantly knew she was right. Jack was ghastly pale and he appeared to be slightly clammy. She walked over to him and felt his forehead to find it feverously warm. "He's warm," she said, looking at the healer.

Healer Dodger stepped forward and touched his forehead with the back of her hand. "You do have a fever."

"What does that mean?" Ginny asked.

"It's not good," the healer said grimly. "It could mean he's getting an infection. He needs to take the potions I'll give you according to the instructions."

"I'm not taking anything until I know she's okay!" Jack half-screamed. "What kind of ministry officials come to collect someone for questioning after the ministry has shut down for the night?"

Looking out the window, Ginny knew he had a point. The sun had gone down long ago and the stars were out twinkling in the sky. "I don't know. But I do know they won't hurt her at the ministry. Not using a document signed by the Minister of Magic."

Jack, however, wasn't going to let this go easily. "How do you know? I never thought the Head of the Auror Department would do what Luis did. I wouldn't put anything past them."

"Please Jack, let me take you home. Lily will be fine!"

"No, she won't! She hasn't been fine in a long time and frankly I'm getting sick of people failing to see how _not_ okay she really is!" Jack shouted. He looked at his Aunt's stunned face and sighed in frustration. He leaned his elbows on his knees and rested his face in his hands.

Ginny turned to the healer. "I think I'll handle things from here. Do you have the potions he needs to take?"

"Yes," she said, stepping forward with an armful of bottles. "Have him take the blue potion once every six hours; it's to continue healing the curse. The green one he needs every eight hours for swelling and to prevent infection. His wound hasn't healed completely because of the curse, so this ointment needs to go on it and the bandages need to be changed twice a day. The wound should be cleaned thoroughly before you reapply the bandages each time. Lily will know how to do it if she…_when_ she gets home," she corrected, quickly looking at Jack who still had his head down.

The healer took a step towards Ginny and spoke this time in a hushed voice. "The purple potion is for pain. Don't let him fool you into thinking that he doesn't need it. I know this curse is particularly painful and he'll need the potion whether he likes to admit it or not. He's too proud for his own good, if you ask me. And finally, the clear potion is a sleeping potion. It's rather strong and it should put him out for several hours. There is enough in here for several doses as well as a few for Lily if you feel she needs it. Don't hesitate to give it to him if he won't rest. It will dissolve tastelessly into any liquid if you need to trick him into taking it."

"Thank you," Ginny said, gratefully taking the potions.

The healer nodded and left.

After putting the bottles down on the nightstand, Ginny walked over to Jack and sat down next to him on the bed. He raised his head up to reveal eyes with unshed angry tears.

"Just keeps coming, doesn't it?" Jack commented darkly.

"I know this has been tough. Sometimes you just need to keep fighting and hope things will work out," Ginny said in what she really hoped was a reassuring tone.

Jack shook his head and wiped away stray tears. "I'm so tired of fighting. It's always been a fight with Lily. In the beginning it was me fighting to get her to understand that I was her friend and she could have faith in me. Then after we got together, it was me trying to convince her that I loved her and that she could trust me with her heart. Now it's me trying to convince her that I love her in spite of everything that's happened, and that I'm not going to abandon her. And what's more, I have to fight with her to get her to understand that she deserves my love."

"She knows you love her," Ginny told him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and wandlessly closing the door to his room, blocking out the noise from the hallway.

"Does she?" Jack asked, looking over at her. "Sometimes I'm not so sure. Sometimes it seems like I'm the only one fighting to keep us together."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, somewhat confused. She knew Jack was frustrated, and he had every right to be. But this ran a little deeper than simple frustration.

"Come on, think about it, Aunt Ginny!" Jack said in exasperation as he laboriously stood up. Ginny tried to help him but he brushed her off. "She's constantly running off trying to save something! She wouldn't have gone to meet Devon if she hadn't been worried that he'd hurt someone else if he wasn't stopped. Allan's death… She was nearly hurt fighting with him. You've never seen her in battle. She takes risks. Big ones. It's like when she's dueling or working, she doesn't think about the people that love her and the people that would miss her if something ever did happen to her. People like me."

"Wanting to save people is in her blood, Jack. It's who she is. You can't expect her to change that. Just because Lily's different now than she was before all this started messing with the both of you doesn't mean she's not the same girl you fell in love with."

"I'm starting to think that Lily hasn't changed at all. Maybe she was never who I thought she was. Maybe I just changed her in my own mind to make it easier to care for her," he said, looking down at his hands and letting go of a breath. "As much as it kills me to admit, sometimes it's really really hard to love her. And I don't know if I can keep fighting for her if she's not willing to fight for me."

Ginny stood up and put her hands on Jack's shoulders. "Jack, this is exhaustion talking, not your heart. This is the woman who you only days ago asked to be your wife! She's the same girl who just saved your life just hours ago!"

Again, Jack shook his head. "What if she saved me because she felt she had to? What if I'm just another innocent soul she's supposed to protect?"

"You're the man she loves!" Ginny said, shaking his shoulders as if to knock some sense into him. _Where had all this come from_, she wondered?

"I know she loves me. But does she love me because I love her and she feels she has to? Or does she love me because she wants to spend the rest of her life with me?"

"The same can be said for you," Ginny countered. "Do you love her out of obligation?" Jack remained silent after her question, a fact that shocked Ginny immensely. She decided to try a different approach. "Can you imagine a life without her?"

Jack only thought for a second. "No, I really can't, but at the same time, this is the only thing I have ever known. For the most part it's been like something out of a dream. And for a long time it didn't matter whatever life threw our way. As long as I had her, I knew everything would be alright. The good times out weighed the bad."

Sensing his hesitation, Ginny moved her face into his line of vision and gave him a reassuring smile. "Then where is this fear coming from? What's changed?"

"I'm loosing her. I can feel it. She's slipping away from me and I don't know how to stop her."

"You will only loose her if you let her go," Ginny said knowingly. "Look at what I let happen to Harry and me. Don't you think I've asked myself a thousand times what would have happened if I had fought harder to make him understand that we belonged together? I should have followed him and told him everyday how much I love him, but I didn't. I let my own inhibitions cloud my better judgment, and it almost cost me the man I love. Jack, I don't want the same to happen to you. Don't let my mistakes become your own. Keep fighting and I promise it will get better."

"That's just it, what if we were never happy?" Jack asked suddenly. "What if I've just been telling myself we were really happy so that I have something to look forward to in the future?"

"Jack I can't say I have all that much experience with the two of you before Harry came back. I avoided you both, actually because you two remind me so much of Harry and I.

"But I can tell you what I see now," she said knowingly. Jack met her eyes again with such painful desperation that Ginny had to take a minute before she went on. He was looking at her like he somehow needed her to take all his frustration away. "I see two people who have been to hell and back. You're both tired and frustrated and neither of you are quite sure of how to handle all this. But look at all the things you two have overcome. You've grown into adulthood together. You've lost a mutual friend together. You helped Lily deal with being raped and you've stuck by her ever time she's needed you. What's more, Lily's able to show her love for you in spite of what Malfoy did."

Again, Jack shook his head. "You make it sound so simple."

"But it isn't simple. I know that more than anyone because I've been in your shoes. You've got a tough road ahead of you and yes, you're going to have to fight for what you want. But don't people always say the best things in life are worth fighting for?" Ginny let her words sink in for a few minutes before she spoke again. "Now, come on. I need to get you home."

Jack finally nodded. "Sure"

"It will get better. And you know what they say; only the best things in life are worth fighting for."

"Just for the record, I know Lily is worth fighting for. I just don't want to be the only one fighting," Jack said as he helped his aunt gather his potions and his things.

* * *

It took fifteen minutes to get Jack checked out of the hospital and another ten minutes to get him in the house. Ginny argued with Jack for twenty minutes before he finally agreed to go upstairs and lay down, instead of waiting for Harry and Lily to come home downstairs in the living room. Jack utterly refused to let her help him up the stairs however, so she walked behind him hoping to break his fall if he were to trip.

"And you say Lily is the stubborn one," Ginny muttered under her breath.

"I heard that," Jack informed her. "Lily doesn't like to admit to people that she needs help when she really does. I, however, am perfectly fine and in no need of help."

"Boy, do I wish I could record this and play it back for you later when Lily's being obstinate and you're trying to convince her to let you help her. I'll have to ask to borrow Harry's pensive."

"I am right here, you know," Jack reminded her, sounding out of breath as he slowly continued to climb the stairs.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they made it to the top of the stairs. Ginny led Jack to the only room on this floor that was furnished. She opened the door to reveal a large cozy room with a king-size canopy bed, large dresser and vanity, sitting area complete with a sofa and overstuffed chair, and an attached bathroom. There was also a small balcony and fireplace on the wall opposite the bed.

"This is really nice," Jack said as he hobbled around.

"You'll have to tell your godfather that you think so. He's the one that decorated in here. There hasn't been anytime for us to finish the other two guest rooms but I'm rather fond of what he did with this one."

"Yeah, it's nice."

Ginny noticed the fatigue in his voice and gently sat him to the bed. "You need to lie down and rest. Harry and Lily should be here any minute. You're parents brought both you and Lily some clothes to wear for the next week or so. They're coming for dinner the day after tomorrow, after they're done at Hogwarts to see you guys and check on how you're doing so I suggest you get some rest—before your mother kills me for not taking care of you."

Jack sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her quizzically. "Can I ask you something?"  
"You just did. But I'll allow you to ask me something else," she said jokingly as she leaned against the dresser and faced him.

"You said you knew that Lily and I were able to…you know…show our love in spite of what happened," he said nervously.

"Yes," Ginny nodded.

"I was just wondering how you knew? I mean I don't know if she's talked to you about it or anything, but I do know we don't exactly advertise it all over the place."

"Jack, maybe it's a female thing, but I just knew. She hasn't told me anything in so many words but I just could tell. And then today my suspicions were confirmed when the healer asked her if you and she had been intimate in the last 24 hours when she was questioning her about the dream. She said not since Christmas."

Jack gulped and looked, if at all possible, paler than he had moments before. "Was…um…was Harry there with you?"

Ginny couldn't help but smirk at his apprehensiveness. "Yes, though I'm sure he was more concerned with what happened to her to be upset about that. And frankly if he does get upset over it, then he's a hypocrite."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

This time it was Ginny who turned a true Weasley red. "All that I'm saying is that Harry knows how much you care for her and I'm sure he's glad she's gotten over the rape enough to be with someone in that way."

"Right." Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

"Were you and Lily intimate before Malfoy?" she asked, not really sure if she was crossing the line.

"Yes, but only just. It was the night before we went off on those missions. We'd talked about it a while before but she told me she didn't think she was ready and I told her I'd wait as long as she needed. That night she told me the time was right," he said, smiling at the memory. That was quite possibly the best night of his life. He shook his head as he wondered why it couldn't always be like that.

"It's good that you gave her time to work that out. It's a big step in a relationship."

"Really, it's lucky that we did it when we did. She told me that when Malfoy took her the first time that he wanted to force her to bear his children. He told her there was some ancient spell on the Malfoy men that made it impossible for anyone who was unfaithful to her husband to carry a Malfoy child. So she had to have been with Draco and Draco only. Since she and I were together before Malfoy got his hands on her the second time, he couldn't make her do what he wanted in that respect."

Ginny let this information sink in for a second. That certainly made sense with what Harry told her. Malfoy and Melissa's father had wanted her killed because she was no longer any use to them because of the spell. The question was, why didn't they just kill Lily the moment they got a hold of her?

"Have you told Harry this?" she asked.

"No, I don't think so. You know Lily, she usually will avoid talking about Malfoy if she can," Jack reminded her.

"It's understandable that she doesn't like to talk about it. But maybe talking is what she needs. How much have the two of you talked about what happened with Malfoy?"

Jack shifted to lie back on the pillows and stretch his legs out in front of him. Ginny stood up when he winced at the movement, and began to rummage through the bag of potions for what he needed to take.

"We talked that night we brought her home. But other than her dreams, we really haven't talked about it," Jack admitted regretfully. "Do you think I should try to bring it up more?"

"It might help if she knew that you knew about everything that happened. Maybe she's still holding something back. Lily's a hard person to figure out sometimes," Ginny said, turning her back so Jack wouldn't see her mix the pain potion in with some sleeping potion. It wasn't enough to make him fall into a deep sleep but it was just enough to hopefully make him doze off in a few minutes.

"She's hard for me to read sometimes," he admitted. Ginny turned around and handed him the potion and he made a face shockingly similar to a small child not wanting to take cold medicine. "I don't want that."

"Jack, you heard the healer. The pain will only get worse," she scolded.

"I'm not in pain," he lied, straightening up on his pillows.

"You winced just a moment ago," she pointed out. "You can't expect Lily to accept help if you won't accept it yourself. Set a good example."

"Ah, but you see it doesn't count because Lily isn't here," Jack said wagging his finger.

"If you take it I promise to rub it in her face the next time she's hurt and in need of a pain draught," Ginny promised. "Please, Jack, they'll be here any minute. Just take the potion so you're not in pain when Harry comes home. He'll be very unhappy with me if I let our godson be in pain for any length of time."

"Fine," Jack reluctantly conceded. He took the potion from his aunt and downed it all in one large gulp. "That stuff is disgusting," he said, making a face.

"I know. Trust me, Harry and I have spent our fair share in the hospital wing at school."

"You and Harry seem like you're happy," Jack said in a calmer voice than before. His eyes were glossed over as if his concentration was waning.

"We are," Ginny said, taking a seat in the large overstuffed chair after turning it slightly to face him. "For the first time in a long time it feels like I'm actually living."

"What did you do while you were in America?" Jack wondered.

"Mostly I just worked. After Harry left I hung around here for a while until you were born. I saw Harry just after your mum gave birth to you. He seemed different. It's hard to explain really. He wasn't better or worse than he usually was, but it was almost like he was a totally different person from the one I used to know and love. I finally accepted that he wasn't coming back and that he and I just weren't meant to be."

"Did you ever see anyone else?" Jack asked.

"No one serious. Most of the time I was working so there wasn't much free time for me to meet anyone, let alone have a serious relationship. Besides, I knew I'd never love anyone the way I loved Harry."

Jack sighed and looked out the window. His breathing became slow and rhythmic, and within minutes, Ginny watched him fight to keep his eyes open. "Go to sleep, Jack."

"I think you've tricked me," Jack said groggily. Finally, his eyes slipped shut and his godmother could be relieved that at least one of them wouldn't have to worry about what was taking Harry so long.

A/N- Thanks for reading! Please review!


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Undeniable

A/n- Surprise! My beta was totally great and got this chapter back to me today so I thought, why not just post it! I know at times I do make you wait a while between chapters so this is my gift to you! Thanks guys! The next chapter may be up in a week or so, maybe more.

Chapter Fourteen: Undeniable

Lily Potter sat in a stiff metal chair in a small room with absolutely nothing in it other than the table that sat in front of her. There were two men in the room with her, leaning over the desk and staring down at her ominously.

"I have already told you, I don't know why I keep having these dreams," Lily said, clearly very annoyed.

"You must have some idea. We know you're a smart girl, Lily. There is something you're not telling us," one of the men accused.

The other man exchanged a meaningful look with the interrogator and said suddenly, "Could this have anything to do with your mother?"

"What about my mother?" Lily asked.

"Surely you know she was a descendent of one of the most powerful and influential pure-blooded families in North America."

Lily tried to hide her lack of knowledge with an unemotional expression. "That has nothing to do with it."

"How can you be so sure?"

Lily stood up on her shaky feet to glare at the man. "I have no idea what you're talking about, and at the moment I don't really care. I'd appreciate it if you'd just get on with whatever else you need to do and let me go home. I don't like being treated like a common criminal! I thought this was a medical inquiry, not a cross-examination."

"We know you're hiding something!"

"And clearly I'm not the only one!"

On of the men stepped forward and violently threw her up against the wall behind her. She hit the flat surface with startling force and couldn't stop her body sliding limply towards the floor. The other man however grabbed her by the shoulders and kept her on her feet. "Either you start talking or things are going to go from bad to worse."

"TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!" a voice from the doorway roared. In all the confusion, Lily hadn't even heard the door open but when she looked over the man's shoulder, she sighed in relief to see her father striding towards her. The interrogator still had a firm grip on her shoulders and didn't turn to look at Harry who was now right behind him.

"Do not make me tell you again! Take your hands off my daughter, _now_!"

The man complied this time and stepped away. Harry pushed him out of the way and swept an obviously exhausted Lily into his arms.

"We have the permission of the Minister of Magic. We're only trying to get to the bottom of what's going on," one of the men said.

"Get out of my way," Harry spat with malice.

"You'd better listen to him," another voice said unexpectedly. Everyone turned to see Dennis O'Connor standing in the doorway with his wand at the ready. "I don't know what you both think you're doing, but Lily is a member of the auror department and under my supervision. She's been through quite an ordeal tonight and she needs to go home and rest."

The interrogator stepped forward and squared off his gaze at Harry. "You may think you deserve special treatment because of who you are. But I think different. I know all about you and the stuff you pulled in school. You've always been allowed to get away with murder. I'm no Albus Dumbledore and I don't think very highly of you, Saint Potter."

Something about that jab seemed familiar. "You don't know anything about Professor Dumbledore," Harry told him forcefully.

"Maybe so, but make no mistake, you will get no special treatment from me. What's happening to Lily is clearly not natural. You're daughter is hiding something and we will get to the bottom of this. You know more than you're letting on and I promise you I will find out what's going on here."

Dennis stepped forward and roughly grabbed the man by his collar. "Back off and let the man take his daughter home."

Harry nodded gratefully, and advanced through the door and down the hall with Lily in his arms.

Dennis jogged to join him seconds later. "I'm sorry about this, Harry. I had no idea they'd take it this far."

"Why are they treating her like she's done something wrong?" Harry asked, glancing down momentarily at Lily who was fighting to keep her eyes open.

Before Dennis could reply, someone from down the hall yelled in there direction, "I don't think she's a hero either!" Harry and Dennis turned around to see the two men standing in front of the interrogation room with their arms crossed over their chests. Wow, these men are awfully childish!

"I don't care what you think," Harry fired back.

"She may have acted bravely tonight on that island but I'm sure deep down she's rather cowardly," the man said, squaring off his shoulders.

Dennis stopped for a minute to let what the man said sink in before he turned to Harry and asked politely. "As an auror I'm gonna need you're help for a second. Put Lily down."

Harry sat Lily in a nearby chair. "Daddy, don't," she mumbled as she slumped to the side unable to support her own weight even sitting down.

"I'll be right back, sweetheart," Harry said, kissing her forehead and talking back to Dennis. They walked back up the hallway towards the two men.

Once they were face to face, Dennis spoke to them in an official tone. "There was no way you could have known about that island tonight. That's classified information the Minister of Magic doesn't even know about. You're under arrest for suspicious activity, treason, and the assault of a ministry official. Hand over your wand. It will be returned to you when our investigation is complete."

The two men exchanged dark looks before they bolted in opposite directions. Harry tore after one while Dennis took the other. He tackled the man to the ground, rolled him onto his back, and pinned his arms behind him before binding them together magically. The man kicked violently and managed to knock Harry off him momentarily. Once Harry regained his footing, he pulled the man to his feet and slammed him against the nearest wall.

"Move again," he dared, holding his wand between the man's eyes. "I'm a cold hardened war veteran…Clark," he added looking down at the man's nametag. "Don't think I won't hesitate to kick your sorry arse the same way I kicked Tom Riddle's."

"You'll get yours," Clark spat.

"I think I've already paid my dues. You, however, are only beginning to pay yours," Harry said as he pulled Clark's sleeve up to reveal a dark mark on his forearm. "I'm sure you'll see many old death eater friends in prison. Tell the dementors I said hello, will you?"

Just then Dennis came back up the hallway with the other man. "Thanks Potter, but I'll take it from here. You just get Lily home."

"Thanks for your help in there," Harry said sincerely.

"No problem. Thanks for your help out here. You aren't a half bad auror, Harry."

Harry nodded and walked back down the hallway, finding Lily in the same hunched over position he left her in. He knelt down in front of her and got her attention by gently laying a hand on her knee. "Lily, honey, are you ready to go home now?"

"Home…," she said in a hollow voice. Harry could tell she was severely disoriented as she looked at him with glazed eyes.

"Yes, home to Jack. That's where we're going. Can you stand?"

"Jack," she mumbled, holding her head as if she'd forgotten something.

Harry ignored her statement. "Never mind," he said, scooping her up in his arms and walking to the nearest apparition point.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon be the time Harry and Lily made it back to the house in Hogsmade. "We're home!" He yelled as he apparated into the kitchen. Lily was half asleep on his shoulder and he still held her up in his arms. "Ginny?" He said looking around the appealingly vacant house. Are you saying that the vacantness was appealing or that the house itself was appealing?

"Upstairs!" a voice called off in the distance.

Harry walked through the semi-dark house and up the stairwell. He saw the light coming from the only furnished bedroom other than the master suite. Ginny met him at the doorway with her finger to her lips.

"Shhhh, he just dropped off," she said in a hushed voice. She then looked down at the girl in her husbands arms and lovingly tucked the hair that had fallen in her face back behind her ear. "Lily, are you alright?"

Lily gave no reply in words, only a soft murmur escaped her lips and she didn't even open her eyes. Ginny and Harry's eyes met again and he shook his head in disgust. "Death Eaters," was all he managed to say in a whisper heavy with anger.

"Not at the ministry?" Ginny asked, clearly shocked.

"Looks like it," Harry confirmed. "It's just like the war all over again. I don't know who to trust."

"I don't understand how they're so organized without a leader?" Ginny thought out loud.

"Maybe they have one," Harry surmised.

Ginny suddenly caught his meaning. "You don't think…"

"How's Jack?"

Ginny glanced behind her to where Jack was sleeping stretched out on the bed. "He's not well, Harry. I had to trick him into taking a sleeping potion otherwise he'd probably be wide awake. He's pretty depressed."

"Who wouldn't be?" Harry said as he walked into the room with Lily. He walked around to the other side of the bed to lay her down next to Jack. "Think they'll be alright in here?"

"I could sit up with them for a while," Ginny offered. "Why don't you go take a shower and get some rest? I'll come to bed if they don't wake up. It looks like they're going to sleep through the night."

"Well, that's hardly fair," Harry said, walking over to the over stuffed chair and pulling her with him to sit on his lap. "We'll both sit up here together for a little while."

"Harry, I don't know if we can live through another war," Ginny whispered, almost as if she was trying to prevent Jack and Lily from hearing her worry.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, love," Harry replied, gently pulling her head down onto his shoulder and kissing her forehead.

The two sat in silence for over an hour before Harry started to doze off. Slowly the room around him became fuzzy and his concentration slipped. His head fell back against the chair as he let go of consciousness.

_

* * *

_

_Dark and damp. Those where the first things Harry noticed when as he took in his surroundings. He seemed to be in a long hallway that looked vaguely familiar on some level. Clearly he was underground somewhere. The whole place held the smell of staleness that only comes with limited exposure to fresh air supply. Slowly he advanced forward and came to an empty cell on his left. _

_A prison? He was in a prison? Suddenly he heard voices, so he darted into the cell so he wouldn't be discovered. _

_"Are you sure you hit him with the memory charm?" a deep male voice asked frantically._

_"I'm positive, master," another male voice responded, this one a few octaves higher than the first. _

_"Good, at least I don't have to worry about him being a problem, at least for a while," the deeper voice surmised. _

_"What about the girl? Are you going to try to get her back?" _

_"It's too risky. She'll be guarded. There will be another time. I won't lose her like I lost her mother…"_

* * *

Harry woke from his dream with a start. He was still in the armchair facing Jack and Lily, but Ginny was no longer there. Apparently she had covered him with a blanket and put a soft pillow beneath his head.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried to piece together the dream he'd just had. It felt like he'd actually lived it before, like he was reliving a memory. Judging by the sun coming through the window, it was sometime in the afternoon.

He looked over to where Jack and Lily were both asleep on the bed, and was disturbed to find Jack's brow sweaty and his face slightly red. He stood up from the chair and walked over to him. Feeling his forehead, he realized he was feverously warm.

"He's had a fever since we left the hospital," Ginny said as she came into the room with a damp cloth. She folded the cloth and laid it gently on Jack's forehead. "The potions haven't started to bring it down yet."

Harry nodded and gestured to his daughter. "Has she been asleep the whole time?"

Ginny nodded but didn't say anything other than, "Come here with me for a minute."

"Alright," Harry said as he allowed her to pull him out into the hallway. Once they were through the doorway, Ginny shut the door and faced Harry with a set look on her face.

"Harry, I don't think you should tell Lily all about Melissa when she wakes up," she finally said wearily.

He stuffed his hands in his pants and let go of a breath. "I can't keep it from her much longer, Gin."

"I know, but I just think it would be too much for her. She really hasn't slowed down since Christmas, and now that Jack's hurt I don't know how she'll take anymore blows right at the moment."

"When do you think I should do it then?"

Ginny thought for a minute while she formed a plan. "Why don't you stay here with Jack while Lily and I have some girl time? I can take some time off from the orphanage and we'll do some planning for the wedding. She still hasn't picked out her dress or the bridesmaid dresses and the invitations haven't gone out yet either. If they're getting married this spring we've got to get a move on all that stuff."

Harry glanced at the still closed bedroom door. "Do you really think she'll leave him here, especially when he's ill?"  
"She will if she knows you're going to be here if something happens. She needs this, love. She needs to have some down time to remember that there are things in life worth living for."

"You're sure about this?"

"I am," Ginny nodded, folding her arms across her chest and squaring her shoulders.

He sighed, but finally nodded his head in agreement. Stepping forward, he wrapped his arms around her and breathed in her familiar smell. "It means a lot to me that you and Lily get along. You know, step-mothers and step-daughters sometimes don't get along at all."

"Did I ever tell you about the little chat I had with Lily before our wedding?" she asked against his chest.

"No," Harry said, running his hands up and down her back, pulling her closer.

"She asked me if she could call me mum," Ginny confessed with a reserved smile, waiting to see what Harry would say.

"She…she what?" Harry asked, not sure he heard her right.

Ginny pulled away from him slightly in case he was angry with her for some reason. "She came up to see me when I was getting ready and we were talking. I was worried that she would think that I was taking her mother's place. She told me that I wasn't, because her real mother had never really been a mother figure because she was killed when Lily was so young. And…she just asked if it would be alright if she called me mum. I told her I'd me honored. I didn't think it'd be a problem…"

Harry smiled for the first time since before they got Hermione's owl saying what had happened to Jack and Lily. He pulled her back to him and whispered in her ear, "It's not a problem at all. I'm glad she's finally got someone to fill that hole in her life. I'm only sorry it couldn't have been sooner."

"Jack's got some issues of his own to deal with. It might be good for you and him to spend some quality time together," she suggested.

"What do you mean? Did something happen?"

"He and I had a little…discussion earlier. Harry, he's just confused and tired and all this has been thrown at him when he's really not ready to deal with it. He and Lily are so young. He's having a little trouble finding space and time to deal with all these new developments," she explained gently.

"Okay, so I'll take care of Jack and you take care of Lily. Is that our plan?"

"Divide and conquer," Ginny affirmed, kissing him soundly on the lips.

"Conquer what?" a voice asked from the now open door.

Both of their heads snapped to the bedroom doorway to see Lily standing there looking at them curiously.

"Lily, are you feeling better?" Harry asked quickly.

"Yeah, a little shaky but I'm better. Um…Jack's got a fever," she said, gesturing behind her to where Jack still looked very uncomfortable. "How long has he had it?"

"I didn't discover it until we left the hospital," Ginny told her. "The potions should help in time."

"Right," Lily said uneasily, not looking back at them. "Are you sure its okay for him to be out of the hospital? I mean it was a really terrible curse and we don't even really know if the worst is over."

Harry turned her around and held her by the shoulders at arms length, "Lily, honey, Jack is going to be just fine. You and Ginny are going to be spending some time together planning the wedding while I stay with Jack to make sure that he's recovering."

Lily smacked herself in the forehead, "Oh! The wedding! I completely forgot! I'm getting married and I don't have a dress or invitations, or flowers, or…"

Ginny interrupted. "It's okay, dear, that's what I'm here for. You and I are going to go out and have some fun planning this wedding!"

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, just leaving him like this?" she asked apprehensively.

"You're not leaving him!" Ginny exasperated. "You're letting his godfather spend some time with him. Besides, you're still going to be staying here for the next week or so. It's all going to be fine"

"I guess so…I've got to plan the wedding and there's no time like the present," Lily said, almost regrettably.

"It's a wedding not a funeral!" Harry reminded her.

"I know…I'm being silly. Of course I'm excited," Lily said, this time slightly more convincingly.

"Why don't we start with the guest list?" Ginny suggested. "We can talk about it while I make dinner."

"Sounds like a plan," Lily nodded.

"And you, love," Ginny said, turning to her husband, "You need to take a shower and sit with Jack."

"Are you trying to tell me that I smell?" Harry asked, faking astonishment.

"Yes," Ginny affirmed flatly.

Harry huffed and walked away from them speaking over his shoulder, "Well, I can see when the love is short. I'll go take my shower and hope that you will be in better spirits when I return!"

* * *

Two hours later, Ginny and Lily had whipped up a modest dinner and had finalized the guest list. Neither of them had heard anything from Jack and Harry from the floor above, so they assumed Jack was still asleep.

"That didn't take as long as I thought it would," Ginny commented as they set the table.

"I had no idea the list would get that long," Lily exclaimed. "What with Dad's friends and your friends and all Jack's parent's friends and family…Hogwarts will be full to the breaking point!"

"If you want a small wedding we could always cut back," Ginny reminded her.

"No, it's been a long time since all of you have been together. I think it will be nice to get to celebrate something besides a war coming to an end."

"You're right. A lot of us haven't seen each other since school. We'll get the invitations when we go shopping tomorrow," Ginny suggested as she brought the roast chicken over to the table.

"I still feel uneasy about this," Lily admitted. "I don't think it's right to leave him."

Ginny was about to open her mouth to retort but she didn't get the chance, because Harry came into the room with Jack's arm slung around his neck as he helped him limp to the table.

"There is nothing to be uneasy about," Harry said to Lily, "Jack's fine; other than being really stubborn about coming down here to have dinner rather than having us bring him up a plate."

Lily rushed to Jack's other side and helped her father get him into the nearest chair. "Jack, you're not well enough to be walking around like this. You could start bleeding again," she said, lifting his shirt up to check that his bandages were alright.

"I've been resting all day, love. Though I really don't remember falling asleep. The last think I remember is waiting for you to come home with Aunt Ginny," Jack said, shooting Ginny a glaring look.

"You needed rest!" Ginny defended. "Harry was taking care of Lily and I knew they'd be mad at me if you were all worked up and bothered when they got back!"

Jack sighed, "Its okay. At least I know she's alright now."

"You're fever seems to have gone down a little," Lily said, feeling his forehead. She then picked up his wrist to check his pulse.

"So, what do you think? Will I live, Healer Potter?" Jack asked smartly when she released his wrist.

"If you're lucky, but I'm not a healer yet and when I am it will be Healer Weasley," Lily said smugly, pecking him on the lips before going to get his potion from his room.

"Oh, Lily, I'm not in pain. I don't need anything!" Jack called after her.

"Save it, son, she's got her mind set on taking care of you at the moment so you might as well live with it," Harry said. He took a seat at the head of the table. Ginny brought the side dishes to the table and sat down at his right hand side.

Lily returned and set the measured out potion in front of Jack and gave him a look that dared him to refuse it. He didn't, of course, and downed the potion with a huff. Lily took a seat next to him on her father's left hand side and they began eating.

"So, how is the guest list coming?" Harry asked between swallows.

"We're done," Lily told him, glancing at Jack. "I hope you didn't want a small wedding."

"I want whatever will make you happy," Jack said, taking her hand under the table.

"How many invitations are you mailing out?" Harry wondered.

"Three hundred and fifteen," Ginny said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Jack and Harry both coughed in their attempts to swallow their food properly. "That certainly is a lot of people!" Harry exclaimed.

"We're not expecting all of them to come," Lily said quickly, "We just thought it might be nice to get everyone together for something fun for a change."

"You've got a point," Harry thought out loud. "I haven't seen a lot of my friends since before I went to America."

"What are you guys doing tomorrow?" Jack asked.

Ginny eyed Lily before answering. "Well first of all, Miss Lily is going to sleep in late and get some rest. They we're going dress shopping. I don't want her over-doing it."

"Neither do I," Jack said, giving her hand a squeeze.

The rest of dinner went off without incident. Harry helped Jack back upstairs while Lily stayed behind to help clean up with Ginny.

"He looks better," Ginny said once the boys left. "He's starting to get the color back in his face."

Lily nodded, "Yeah, that's good. I thought I was going to fall apart back on the island. He was so pale and there was so much blood…I thought I'd already lost him."

"Jack's a fighter. He probably gets it from his father. You know, your Uncle Ron fought the entire final battle on a compound fracture to the ankle? He was hurt so bad in the fighting that he was unconscious in the hospital for over two weeks. He was worse off than your dad was," Ginny remembered.

"What about you? Were you hurt?" Lily asked shyly.

"No, I wasn't at the battle. Harry left with Ron and Hermione to find what they needed to have a shot at destroying Voldemort. They were gone for over a year and a half before they finally got down to destroying You-Know-Who himself. They made me promise not to get involved in the fighting. I was at headquarters with my mother, and my brother's wives and their children."

"That must have been hard," Lily concluded, "Being so far away from the ones you love and knowing they were in danger."

"It was hard," Ginny said darkly as she dried a dish off with a rag. "There were times I thought I was loosing my mind from all the worry. All my brothers were fighting. But we were lucky; we didn't loose anyone in the immediate family."

"I bet you were glad when it was over."

"It wasn't really over until a long time after the fighting stopped. But yes, I was glad when we could move on with our lives."

The two cleaned in silence for a few more moments before Harry came into the room. He took the drying rag away from Lily and gently pushed her towards the stairs.

"Jack's asking for you. I can take care of this. You go and get some sleep," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Alright. Goodnight, Daddy," she said, returning the gesture. She walked over to Ginny and gave her a warm hug. "Thanks for everything. It really did help to get my mind off everything for a little while."

"You're welcome, honey," Ginny said, wrapping her arms around Lily and holding her for a lingering second.

"Good night," she said, pulling away and looking her in the eye. "Mom."

"Sleep tight," Ginny said as she released Lily and shooed her upstairs.

Lily made her way up the stairs and found the bedroom she and Jack were sharing. She knocked on the door lightly and waited for permission to enter.

"Come on in, Lily," Jack said good-naturedly from the other side of the wood.

When she came into the room, she saw Jack sitting on the edge of the bed with a smile on his face. "Are you alright?" she asked, walking over to him.

When she was close enough, Jack reached forward and pulled her to stand in between his legs. The bed was elevated off the floor just enough so his head was level with her stomach. He buried his face in the fabric of her shirt and breathed in the smell of her as if it were necessary to sustain his life. "I'm better now," he said in a muffled voice.

Lily tangled her fingers in his hair and closed her eyes in a moment of relaxation. "Hey, I think I know what you need," she said as he wrapped his arms around her slim waist in an attempt to pull her closer to him.

"What is that?"

"A nice hot bath," she said, a definite hint of laughter in her voice.

Jack moaned in response to her small ministrations. "I'll do whatever you want if you just keep that up."

"I'll rub your back for you if you want," she shyly offered.

"I'd love you forever for it," he said with his eyes closed.

Lily stepped out of his arms and got on the bed to kneel behind him. She ran her hands over Jack's back lightly at first before she began kneading her thumbs in tiny circles starting at the base of his neck. She felt the muscles beneath her fingers contract tightly.

"You really shouldn't let yourself get like this," she said, knowing that he'd been stressed out simply by his tense muscles.

Jack mumbled something incoherent. What she was doing was simply amazing, and he didn't think he could bring himself to break the spell she'd put him under. She worked her way down his back and slowly with tender care his muscles started to relax under her gentle touch.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" he asked when he finally found his voice.

"You know, I don't know," she said playfully. "But let me know when you find out."

"Come here, you," he said, pulling her to stand in front of him again. He cupped her face with his hand and pulled her lips down to his. The kiss couldn't have lasted long, a minute or two, perhaps an hour, or maybe even a small lifetime. However long it was it was enough to remind him why he truly did love her.

"I'll go start the water," she said, stepping out of his arms once they broke the kiss. He made a noise of disapproval in response to her absence but said nothing out loud.

For the first time, Lily walked into the joining bathroom and saw just how nice it really was. The large whirlpool bathtub was sparkling in the lavender candles that were lit around it. There were bath potions and shampoos on a shelf opposite the tub and there was a double sink with a long mirror running along the entire opposite wall. On the other side of the bathroom from the tub there was also a shower stall.

She gingerly walked over to the tub and played with the taps until she felt the temperature was right. She looked on the shelf and found some soothing bobbles and other scented potions that she thought might ease some of Jack's discomfort. Just as she was pouring the last potion into the filling tub, she felt strong arms encircle her from behind.

"Jack, you scared me," she said, somewhat startled.

"I'm sorry," Jack said against her neck in a slow, low tone of voice.

"It's almost ready for you," she said, finishing with the potion and setting it on the edge of the tub.

"Why don't you join me?" he suggested, not letting go of her.

"In my father's house?" she mocked in horror. "Jack, I'm surprised at you!"

"We have in my parent's house? What's the difference? I put a silencing charm on the room and I locked the door," he informed her. He turned her around in his arms to face him and was startled to find her with an almost scared look on her face. He thought for a minute and then remembered, "Malfoy…I totally forgot, love, I'm so sorry. I'm such a jerk to be thinking of that when he…Look, it's okay. You don't have to if you really don't want to."

Lily shook her head, "No, that isn't it. I haven't really washed up since the island and…I'm gross and I just thought I'd take a shower while you relax for a bit." She motioned behind him to the shower stall.

He looked at her and noticed she was wearing jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. When she left the hospital she was still wearing the hospital gown. They most have given her something else when they took her to the ministry because she'd been wearing this since Harry brought her home. "Why didn't you say something? I'm sure someone would have let you take a shower earlier."

"I washed up pretty good but I…um…couldn't get the sweatshirt off. My shoulder is really sore and I can't lift it over my head. It wasn't that sore when I put it on, but now it hurts pretty bad," she admitted, looking away.

"Lil, why didn't you say something?" he asked, lightly running his hand over her back and looking down on her.

"I didn't want to trouble anyone and I knew that once I took a shower I'd just want to sleep so I couldn't do it before dinner," she said, still looking way. "I was hoping maybe you would help me."

Jack had to fight back the urge to argue with her about suffering in silence. "I can do that," he said finally, knowing that scolding her would only make her retreat further into her shell than she already had.

"Thanks," she said, untangling herself from him once more to turn off the water. She then walked back and gently eased his own shirt over his head and began undoing his bandages. "I need to replace these with some that are water proof," she explained when he looked at her questioningly.

She took her time, making sure not to hurt him as she peeled back layer after layer finally revealing the wound itself. "It looks good," she said, looking at it closely. "No signs of infection. The potion's already started to shrink its size."

"That's good," Jack said, watching her and not really caring about his own injury.

She applied more healing potion, which caused Jack to hiss at the harsh sting it caused. "Sorry," she said regrettably as she looked up at his closed eyes.

He nodded his head and watched as she put new bandages on.

"There you go," she said a few minutes later.

He reached down and removed his pants while she walked over to the sink to wash her hands. Clad in only his boxers he held out his hand to her when she was finished, "Okay, come here." She walked back over to him with a clearly apprehensive look on her face. He cupped her face with his palm and kissed her briefly. "Can you pull your bad arm up through the sleeve?" He asked, indicating the troublesome sweater she still wore.

"I think so," she said. Struggling, she managed to pull her right arm out of the sleeve and she held it close her body.

Seeing the signs of pain cross her face, he knew that her shoulder must have been slammed against something hard or pulled out of the socket and then put back in. "Raise your other arm over your head," he instructed further. She did as he asked and soon he had the sweater over her head. He cast it aside and then turned to the shirt she was wearing underneath. He told her to do the same thing as she'd done with the sweater, and before long it too lay on the cold tile. For the first time he saw her torso. He couldn't help but gasp at the sight before him.

"Thanks," she said, breathing a sigh of relief until she saw the look on his face. He was staring at her chest and stomach with a deeply pained look on his face. She crossed her arms over her chest in a vain attempt to cover up what she knew was a horrific sight.

"Lily," he croaked, gently moving her arms away and fighting back tears. Her ribcage was bruised to a deep purple and she had what looked like red bite marks at the base of her neck. He looked closer and he could see the yellowing lines on her neck where someone had tried to choke her. Taking a step around her, he saw that her back was just as bad. Along with all the old scars there appeared to be new ones as well as more bruises. Her hurt shoulder was also black and blue.

Lily obviously didn't take his scrutiny as a good sign, because it was a sniffle that brought him back from his examination. He looked down at her face and found it stricken with tears.

"You see, this was why I didn't want to say anything," she said miserably. "I'm hideous."

"No, you're not," he said, cupping her cheeks with both hands and making her look at him. "You're beautiful."

"This is not beauty, Jack," she said, tears continuing to fall. "How can you possibly want me like this?"

"Trust me, Lily, I want you. So much that it took all of my control not to jump you when you walked in the room. You're just a little banged up and it surprised me. I didn't know it was this bad. But will you please take a bath? I think it might help you just as much as it will help me. It will take some of the soreness away. If your uncomfortable being in there with me then you can get in by yourself and I'll get in when you're done."

"No, that's silly. You don't remind me of Malfoy at all," she assured him.

"We don't have to do anything," he told her, brushing the hair way from her face. "I understand if you're not comfortable after what he…um…what he…"

She smiled up at him before standing up on her tip toes to kiss him properly. Pouring all the feelings she had for him into the kiss, she held him to her for a lot longer than she might have planned. When she pulled away his lips were somewhat red and she imagined hers looked similar.

"We're letting the water get cold," she said breathlessly, slightly embarrassed at her own daring.

"It's a magical tub," Jack pointed out. "It's got a warming charm."

"Right," she replied, blushing a perfect Weasley red.

He turned her around so she was facing the filled tub and swept her hair over her good shoulder. He unclasped her bra and let if fall to join the pile of clothes in the floor. Next, he reached around and unbuttoned her jeans easily. They were slightly too big for her so it was easy to remove both the jeans and her knickers at the same time. Once all her clothes were off, he removed his own boxers and they helped each other into the warm welcoming water. The tub was a lot deeper than it had looked when it was empty, probably another hidden magical trick, Lily surmised. In the middle the water came up to her shoulders and the middle of Jack's chest. He skirted over to the edge where apparently a ledge had appeared and he leaned against the wall of the tub.

"I have to say, this was one of your better ideas," he said, closing his eyes and letting the feeling wash over him. "I feel better already."

"I have my moments," she said slyly, swimming over to him with a devilish grin, and hoping that they both could forget the world around them at least for a little while.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: On the Edge

Chapter Fifteen: On the Edge

Complete and utter contentment: this was the first emotion Jack felt when he woke up the next morning. Opening his eyes, he gazed up at the ceiling and for a split second, he didn't really know where he was. He quickly remembered why he was in this strange place. Looking down he saw the mass of black curls and felt the weight of Lily's head resting on his shoulder.

"Are you awake?" she asked, sounding strangely awake.

"Yes," he said, tipping her chin up towards him. "How long have you been awake?"

"A little while," she said, kissing him briefly. "I couldn't move because you've got a death grip on my waist."

"Damn straight," he said, pulling her closer to enforce his point.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I was tired," he said smugly.

Lily withheld her laughter and tried to say in a responsible voice, "We really shouldn't have done that. We're supposed to be resting."

"I didn't hear you complain last night," Jack reminded her, kissing her forehead.

"Well…no, but you know what I mean."

"I don't care if I have to stay in bed all day long. I wouldn't give last night up for anything," he told her firmly but with a touch of humor.

"Jack, you make it sound like that's all I'm good for!" Lily said, rolling onto her side and propping herself up by her elbow.

"I never said that," Jack replied quickly. "I happen to know there are many things you're good for."

Lily continued to blush. "What are you planning on doing today?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I think Harry and I are just going to hang out around here. Everyone thinks I should take it easy so I doubt he'll let me do anything strenuous."

"He better not," Lily said definitively. "I better get up and get ready though. It looks like I overslept."

Jack grinned evilly before pulling her back just as she started to get up, "You can go when I'm done with you."

* * *

Ginny and Lily spent all day and most of the early evening shopping for wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses. Lily decided she was going to have Mea as her maid of honor, and Hermione and Ginny as her bridesmaids. They also went to a special card shop and ordered invitations.

After such a long day, Lily had to admit she was glad when Ginny suggested they go home. They'd been in London, so they apparated to Hogsmeade together and decided to walk through the small town instead of simply going straight home.

"We got a lot done today," Ginny said happily as they hurried along the small residential street.

The weather was warm for January, and earlier the sun had shone brightly against the bareness of the wintry terrain. Now the sun was dipping below the horizon as night was about to set in.

"Yeah, thanks for going with me to do all this stuff. I never would have been able to get it all done without your help," Lily said sincerely.

"Oh, it was fun! And I really think Jack's going to go wild over your dress."

"I hope so," Lily giggled.

"What do you suppose they've been up to all day?"

"Who knows? Talking about Quidditch, probably," Lily laughed.

Ginny nodded her head and laughed. They walked the rest of the way to the house and up the stairs to the front door. Ginny unlocked the door with a wave of her hand and held it open for Lily as they both rushed inside into the warmth.

"You're home," they heard a happy voice to their right call. They turned and saw Harry and Jack sitting the couches that faced opposite each other in front of the fire.

Harry jumped up helped Ginny remove her cloak. Jack stood up as well, but it took him longer to get to his feet. By the time he was upright, Lily had already made her way over to him with her cloak dangling over her arm.

"Did you two have a good day?" she asked with a smile.

"Yep," he said. "We spent most of the day lying around. Harry made us lunch and then he had someone come out to the house to measure both of us for suits for the wedding."

"Oh, really?" Lily said, looking over at her father.

"Yes, I took very good care of your boy," Harry assured. He walked over to her and took her cloak. He pecked her on the cheek before he walked to the closet to put the cloak away. "What did you two do all day?"

"We went shopping for dresses and got the invitations sorted out," Ginny explained. "Is anyone hungry? I should start tying to figure out what to fix for dinner."

Lily and Jack had settled back down on the sofa. Jack leaned against the back of the couch and wrapped an arm around Lily, pulling her down to rest her head on his chest. They both sighed and sank further into each others' arms.

Harry followed Ginny into the kitchen and watched as she buzzed around looking in cupboards and draws for food to prepare.

He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms lazily over his chest. "You haven't said hello to me properly, Mrs. Potter," Harry said in a low voice.

Ginny turned and smiled at him, "That's true, Mr. Potter. I haven't." She sauntered over to him, swinging her hips and batting her eyes. "Can you possibly forgive me for such a huge error?"

Harry smirked, "I might be persuaded to." He reached behind Ginny's head and pulled her up to him. She stood up on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck as her lips touched his.

It never failed to amaze him how wonderful it felt to hold her in his arms like this. It was like coming home. Each and every time he kissed her it felt like that was the only place he was ever meant to be. He knew now it was the only place he ever wanted to be.

He held her to him for several more minutes before he pulled away. "I think we'd better stop before I do something I'd rather not have my daughter catch me doing," Harry groaned. Ginny smiled at him and looked around him into the living room.

"I don't think that will be a problem. It doesn't appear that they've noticed."

Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Jack and Lily sound asleep right were they'd fallen on the couch. "Well…I guess they're a little more tired than we thought," Harry said laughing. "Should we leave them there?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, they'll be more comfortable upstairs. Why don't you wake them and tell them to go lay down. If they're hungry later you can tell Lily that I'll leave some food they can munch on."

Harry nodded and walked into the living room. He leaned down and touched Lily's shoulder. He waited until she opened her eyes before he said, "Hey, why don't you guys go on upstairs?"

"Yeah…I guess I dozed off there for a second," she looked over at Jack who was still snoozing. "Looks like we both did."

"Your mum said to say she'll leave out some food if you get hungry later."

"Thanks Dad, I'll wake him up and we'll go to bed."

Harry kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight sweetheart."

"Night," she said, smiling sleepily.

Harry returned to the kitchen while Lily turned back to Jack.

"Are you dreaming?" she whispered in his ear. She watched as he scrunched up his face in response. "Because if you're dreaming it better be about me."

Slowly his lips curled into a smile and he opened his eyes to look at her. For a second or two he simply looked up at her, taking in the way the hair that had fallen out of her pony tail to frame her face shined in the candlelight. He could see the darker specks of green in her bright eyes. She was the definition of beautiful when she was like this; relaxed and untroubled.

"Well?" she said expectantly.

"Well what?" he asked grinning.

She playfully hit him on the arm. "What were you dreaming about?"

"Ouch," he said in mock pain. "I can't believe you'd hit an injured man!"

Lily laughed at his joke. She laid her head back down on his chest and snuggled into the warmth radiating from his body. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her to his body.

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "The dream I was having isn't one I'd tell you about with your father in the other room."

"Well, so long as I was the star of your dream," Lily responding, lifting her head so she could place and easy kiss on his lips. "Why don't we go upstairs and get some sleep? Mom said she'll leave us something if we get hungry later."

"Sounds like a plan."

Lily stood up and held out her hands to help Jack to his feet. "I feel like an old man," Jack said once he was finally upright.

"You're getting better. It's just going to be a while before you get your strength back," Lily assured him. She took one of his hands and wrapped it around her neck and encircled his waist with her other arm to help him walk up the stairs. He still had a bit of a limp on the side where he wound was.

"I'm not getting better fast enough for me," Jack grumbled as they walked toward the staircase.

"Oh Lily," Ginny's voice said behind him, "You forgot your bag in the kitchen."

Lily turned her head and saw Ginny walking towards them with the bag. "Thanks," Lily said as she took the bag in her hand and tried to juggle Jack at the same time.

"Do you need some help? I'm sure Harry can get him upstairs for you," Ginny suggested.

"_He_ doesn't need help," Jack said grumpily.

Lily couldn't help but laugh. Jack really did hate being taken care of like he was an invalid. "That's okay, I think I can handle him on my own," Lily said over her shoulder as they continued taking small steps to the stairs.

"Goodnight, Jack," Ginny said loudly so he would hear her as they started up the stairs.

"Goodnight Aunt Gin. I love you," Jack called in a stained voice.

"I love you too," Ginny said, smiling as she turned and went to join Harry in the kitchen.

A few minutes later Jack and Lily made it to the top of the stairs. "Are you alright?" Lily asked when she saw Jack's pale face.

"Yeah, I'm just a little winded. What's in the bag?" Jack asked.

"Oh, we went shopping for some things I'll need while I'm here. I didn't have any pajamas with me so I bought some."

Lily let Jack catch his breath before they continued on to their bedroom. Once inside, she led him to the bed and sat him down. "I need to change your bandages."

"So you and Ginny had fun?" Jack asked as he watched her walk away.

"Yeah, it was nice," Lily called from the bathroom. She returned moments later with some potion bottles and bandages. "It was good just to have a relaxing day. It was kind of…normal."

"It can be like that all the time, you know," Jack told her. "We can have a normal life. We will have a normal life."

Lily smiled at him. "Jack, as long as I have you I don't really care about normalcy all that much."

Jack returned her smile and let her tend to his injury. He watched her the whole time. He saw how careful she was not to hurt him, the look of concentration that overtook her face, and the loving way she tried to ease his discomfort by simply smiling at him or kissing his forehead. She may be a brilliant dueler and she may make a better than average auror, but he could tell she was born to be a healer.

"All done," she declared about ten minutes later.

He nodded and put on the shirt she handed him. It was one of Harry's old shirts that he'd been given to sleep in. He always slept in his boxers, so there was no problem there. She helped him stand up and led him to the overstuffed chair so he could sit while she turned down the bed. Once she was done she helped him back to the bed and assisted him in lying down.

"You really don't have to take care of me like this," Jack affirmed once he was lying flat on the crisp sheets. The feeling invoked memories of the night before and he couldn't help but smirk at the recollection.

"I like taking care of you. It makes me feel needed."

"I do need you," Jack affirmed quickly. "I need you more than anything."

"Well then, don't complain when I want to look after you. It's only because I love you. Now, I'm going to go get ready for bed," she said, walking to the bathroom.

She closed the door, but from where the bed was positioned in the room it didn't really matter. He couldn't have seen anything even if she'd left it open. A few moments later there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Jack called from the bed.

The door opened a hair, and Harry's head poked out from around the wood. He clearly looked relieved to see Jack alone in bed.

"She's in the bathroom," Jack explained, answering Harry's question before he could get it out.

Harry nodded and entered the room properly. "Gin asked me to bring this up here," he nodded down at the tray in his hands. There were two bowls of soup and several slices of homemade bread. "It's got a warming charm on it so if you get hungry it will be ready for you to eat."

"Thanks, Harry," Jack said, trying to sit up to go take the tray from him.

Harry held up his hand in protest, "Don't even think about it! I don't want Lily out here angry with me!"

"Sorry," Jack mumbled, settling back down in bed.

"Well, have a good night's sleep," Harry said as he laid the tray down on the dresser and headed back to the door.

"You too. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, son." Jack waved his hand when Harry was gone and the door locked with a click.

Once out in the hallway, Harry met Ginny coming back up the stairs. "Are you sure you don't want me to make you something for dinner?" she asked once she reached him.

"No, I'm not hungry, thanks though, love."

"What's that look on your face for?" Ginny asked, withholding a laugh.

"Well, it's just that…should I be allowing that in my house?" he asked, inclining his thumb in the direction of Jack and Lily's room.

"Allow what?"

"Them…sleeping together under my roof. I mean she is my daughter and all…" his voice trailed off into nothing.

Ginny chuckled and pulled Harry towards their own bedroom. "Oh Harry, honestly, they share a room at Ron and Hermione's house."

"How long have they been doing that?"

"I don't know…Perhaps a year, maybe a little less."

They reached their bedroom door and Ginny opened it and closed it once Harry came through. "Really, Harry, it isn't that big of a deal. Lily is of age and that's not just some random boy she has in there. That's the man she's dated for years and her fiancé."

"I know that…it's just…I don't know. It's never bothered me before now." Harry removed his shirt and trousers, leaving him standing there in his boxers next to their bed. "I don't want to think about my little girl having sex with her fiancé just down the hall."

Ginny laughed out loud at the look on Harry's face.

He turned his head to look at her menacingly. "You think this is funny, do you? I'll show you funny!" He was in front of her in a second, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She squealed in protest as he carried her over the bed and threw her down on the soft surface. He straddled her hips to prevent her from struggling and began an intense ticking session.

Within minute Ginny had tears of laughter welling in her eyes, "Harry! Stop!" She gasped.

"What's in it for me?" he said over her fits.

"I won't laugh at you ever again!" she promised, still squirming.

"Good," Harry said, falling to her side and lying on his back. "That's all I wanted."

"Really?" she whispered seductively in his ear. "That's all you want?"

"Yep," Harry said, sounding unmoved by her advances.

She smiled and snuggled closer to him. He wrapped an arm protectively around her waist as she laid her head in the center of his chest. They remained silent for a few minutes.

"Jack loves Lily, Harry. He would never do anything to hurt her. Frankly, I think it's amazing that Lily is able to overcome everything that Malfoy has done to her. If that were me…I don't know if I'd ever be able to be intimate again."

Harry sighed and kissed her forehead. "I know she's a strong girl. I know she must trust Jack a lot to be with him after everything. It's just strange for me, that's all. She'll always be my baby girl."

"But she's not a baby," Ginny said softly. "She hasn't been in a long time."

"I know."

"And besides," she said, wanting to change the mood. "You would be a fraud if you thought they shouldn't be together in that way."

"Would I?" Harry said, raising his head off the bed and looking at her curiously.

Ginny just rolled her eyes. "Come on, Harry. I was fifteen when we were first together," she reminded him. "Not to mention the fact that I don't even know how many times we've done it in my parent's house."

"Why, Ginerva Potter, you make it sound like I couldn't keep my hands off you!"

"Well, you couldn't," she stated bluntly.

"Oh, you'll pay for that," Harry said rolling them over so he was in the dominate position. He didn't really know what he meant to do, but whatever it was he forgot about it instantly when he saw her lying there beneath him.

"If this is you version of punishment then I think you need to take a few lessons," Ginny lightheartedly teased.

"I think there is far too much talking going on here," Harry stated as he covered her mouth, preventing her from protesting any further.

* * *

The door to the bathroom finally opened, and Jack looked up to see Lily enter the room. He immediately felt his chest tighten and found it hard to take a deep breath. She was wearing something he'd never seen her wear before. Ever since they started sharing a room, or really ever since she started living with them, she'd always wore a t-shirt and boxers to bed. Sometimes she wore different kind of shorts and sometimes when it was just the two of them she would only wear a long t-shirt. But tonight she was wearing none of the above.

Tonight she had on a silky pale blue spaghetti strap nightie that ended just above her knees. Her hair was down from her previous pony tail and fell in waves around her face, over her shoulders and down to her waist.

"Jack," Lily said uncertainly.

He looked up and felt his cheeks warm when he realized he'd been staring, "Sorry."

"Is something wrong?" she asked, walking over to stand on his side of the bed. He was sitting up against the pillows with his legs stretched out in front of him. When she got close enough he took both her hands and held them away from her body so he could have a better look.

"No…um…it's just that I've never seen you in anything like this before," he managed to say as she started to get nervous.

She looked down at herself and frowned. "Oh well, we were shopping today and Ginny said I should get something that I can sleep in. I told her what I usually sleep in but she wouldn't have it. She said that I'm a woman now and I'm getting married so this is what I should wear. You…you don't like it?" she asked hesitantly.

Jack shook his head, "No, I like it…I love it actually. You caught me off guard a little bit. It's definitely different."

His eyes met hers and he could tell she was still very timid. He cupped her face in his hands and brought her down to him. As their lips met she sank down to sit on the edge of the bed. Her hands came to his face when he deepened their kiss. Pulling her closer he felt her gently slid her leg over both of his and straddle his hips. His hands fell down to her thighs, where the material from the nightgown had bunched up. He could feel her shallow breaths and slowly he moved his lips from hers and placed several open mouth kisses along her jaw line and neck.

"Jack," she whispered, sounding like she'd just run a mile.

"What, love?" he asked against her throat.

She swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat and tried to get some oxygen back in her lungs. "We…we shouldn't do this…You need to rest. You're tired," she vaguely pointed out even though she tilted her head and closed her eyes as his lips tailed down her neck and over her shoulder.

"I want you," he said in her ear just loud enough for her to hear.

"But you're--"

"Shhhh," he hushed. He took hold of her hips and gently eased her body over to the side so she was lying down on her back with him above her. He raised his head to look her straight in the eye. "I love you."

Her breath caught with how much emotion and passion that seemed to fill his features. "I love you too," she responded sincerely.

He captured her lips once more in his to silence her from saying anything else. He waved his hand and cast a silencing charm over the walls around them. He brought both her hands above her head and intertwined his fingers with hers.

_She looked up and saw Malfoy's face above her. He had that look on his face. _

_"Awww, must be nice to be with someone you love," he said. He too had her hands above her head, but he was gripping them tightly and pinning her down with his body. _

_"What are you doing to me?" she asked frantically. She looked around and saw that she wasn't her room at her father's house any longer. "How did I get here?" _

_"What does it matter?" he asked coldly. She felt him forcibly knee her legs apart and she started to panic. _

_"Stop it! Let go of me!" _

_"I don't think I will," he said, sinking his teeth into her neck._

_She somehow managed to get one of her hands free and her fist collided with his jaw. Hard. She saw his head fly to the side and heard him curse in anger. In a moment of weakness he let go of her and she managed to get up off the bed. She ran to the door but found that it was locked. She turned around and saw him bet up off the bed and walk over to her slowly. _

_"Keep away from me! Just leave me alone!" she cried, sinking to the ground and hugging her knees to her chest. _

_"Now were would the fun be in that?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. She saw him ball up his fist and pull back his hand ready to strike. She hid her face in her knees and shook like a small child having a nightmare. _

"Please don't," she begged, tears falling from her eyes and into her open mouth as her body shook violently with broken sobs.

"Lily, it's alright!"

"No, stay away!" she yelled.

"Honey, its me--"

She looked up, blinded by her tears and tackled Malfoy to the ground. They landed in a painful heap with her half on top of him. She heard him groan in pain and she pushed up on his abdomen and looked down. It took her a tense second to realize that wasn't Malfoy that she'd tackled to the ground…

"Lily, it's Jack…you're okay," Jack soothed as he held his hands up so she could see them but spoke in a tone that held nothing but love.

"Oh God," she breathed rolling off him. She sat up and held her face in her hands. "What have I done…?"

She heard him struggle to sit up beside her, and before she could look down, she felt his warm arms wrap around her. "Shhhh, everything's okay. It's just me. I'm not going to hurt you."

She tried her hardest to fight the tears, but when the weight of what had just happened pressed down on her chest, she could do nothing but give herself over to the sadness and frustration. Her shoulders shook and again, tears made rivers along her cheeks. She realized Jack still had his arms around her and she looked over at him through bleary eyes.

"Jack, I'm… so…so sorry," she hiccupped.

"Lily, its okay. You didn't do anything wrong," he tired to sooth but she shook her head.

"I don't know what came over me. One minute I was here and the next I was there and he was there and he…Merlin, what's wrong with me!"

This time it was Jack's turn to shake his head. "Nothing is wrong with you! It's him! He's a sick vile man! There is absolutely nothing wrong with you!"

She wiped at her tears angrily and looked at his jaw. "Oh no, I hit you, didn't I?"

"Not hard," he weakly tried to tell her.

"Not hard? Jack, you're already bruising!" She ran her hand over the darkening spot and more tears escaped her green eyes. Her eyes traveled down and got really wide when she saw his shirt wet with blood over where his wound was healing. "You're bleeding!"

She hopped up and ran into the bathroom. She was back by his side in an instant with a wet washcloth and more bandages and potions. She removed his shirt and cried even harder when she saw the drenched bandages.

"I'm so sorry…God, how could I have done this," she said, unable to bring her voice above a whisper.

"It's alright. You didn't think it was me," Jack reminded her.

He watched her with concern as she took off the bandages and stopped the bleeding. Her tears never stopped the whole time she cleaned away all the blood and put the new bandages on tight. She stood up and helped him get back over to the bed. He caught her hand when she tried to back away from the bed once he was comfortable.

"Lily, come here," he told her in a gently firm voice.

She shook her head and looked him in the eye. Her eyes held such sadness that he'd never seen before. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she'd been crying for days and her face stricken with tears. He took hold of her other hand and pulled her to sit down on the edge of the bed.

"I hurt you," she stated flatly. "I didn't mean to but I did."

He brought his hand to the back of her neck and guided her into his chest. "I'm fine, baby. Listen to me. I know you didn't mean it and I'm fine. It's okay."

"No, it is not okay," she said forcefully. She didn't move her head from his chest. Instead she reached over and gripped the clean shirt she'd only moments ago helped him into. She held on to him like a lifeline. "I can't even make love to my fiancé without him interfering."

He could see that she was panicking by the quick shallow breaths she was taking. He rubbed her back and eased, "Shhhh, just calm down for me. Okay, love? Slow deep breaths."

Slowly but surely he brought her breathing back to normal. Her tears stopped falling from her eyes like a rainstorm and her body seemed to relax against him.

"Come here and lay down with me," he tenderly commanded.

"But what if I--"

"You won't," he cut her off. "Now come here."

She reluctantly crawled over and lay down next to him in bed. He enveloped her in his arms once more and this time she rested her head on his chest without being asked or guided to. He felt her bat her eyes against his bare skin.

"Why? Why is it always me? What have I done to deserve this?" she asked in a small voice.

"You haven't done anything," he assured her without any doubt.

"But you haven't either and now its affecting you…I'm so sorry this always gets in the way of us. It isn't unfair to you. I shouldn't ask you to be with me when I've got all this baggage I have to deal with."

He tilted her head up so he could look her in the eye. "Lily, do you love me?"

Her eyes clouded with tears once more. "You know I do. But that doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't have to handle all my problems--"

"I love you too," he talked over her rant. She shut her mouth and gapped up at him. "I love you, Lily Potter, so much it hurts sometimes. I wake up in the morning and you're the first thing on my mind. I think about you all day long. I'm going to marry you this spring and I'm going to do my best to make you the happiest woman on the planet. You are absolutely everything to me. I know we've had rough times and I'd be a liar if I told you I don't have days when I'm doubtful. But at the end of the day you are the only thing that will ever make me happy. You are worth fighting for, and believe me I intend to fight for us. I'm not going to let some idiot like Draco Malfoy take you away from me." He watched her for a few moments before asking, "Am I worth it? Am I worth fighting for?"

Tears fell down from her eyes. She never broke eye contact with him and found his hand resting on his chest. She laced their fingers and slowly nodded her head.

"I need to hear you say it," Jack enforced. "Am I worth it?"

Again she nodded her head but this time she found her voice to say, "Yes, you're worth it."

"Okay then," he smiled, and wiped away the tears that had just fallen on her cheeks. "Now, all that I ask is that you stop crying. It kills me to see you cry. Just let me hold you and try to make it better. Let me take care of you the way you take care of me," he pleaded.

She slowly nodded her head and gave him a smile. Resting her head back on his chest he felt her let go of a shuddering breath and relax even more. The tension in her body seemed to ebb away as he rubbed her back with his hand and whispered loving words into her ear. Soon she left go and gave into beckoning sleep. Only when he knew she was finally resting did he summon the blankets wandlessly with his hand and close his own eyes to welcome sleep.

* * *

When Jack opened his eyes the next morning, he almost forgot the events of the previous night. That was until he looked down and saw Lily's puffy eyes from crying. He winced as he rolled her over off his chest and onto her back. He wanted her to sleep, but more importantly he wanted to talk to Harry about what happened last night. He pulled the covers up under Lily's chin and stood up on shaky legs. His side was definitely sorer, this morning and his jaw was killing him. His only consolation was that Draco Malfoy would be waking up with similar pain as well.

He walked to the bedroom door, pulled it open, and stepped out into the hallway. It was clear that no one was else was upstairs so he turned to the next obstacle: the stairs. He sighed, completely disgusted with himself that something as simple as a staircase could be so painful. He took his time, taking one step and at a time and finally made it to the bottom in one piece.

"Harry," he called to the empty living room.

"Harry's not here, Jack," his aunt's voice called from the kitchen.

Jack hobbled over to the doorway and found her sitting at the kitchen table with the paper and a cup of tea.

She looked up at him and her jaw dropped. "What on earth happened?" She asked, hurrying over to him. She helped him over to sit at the table.

"I'm fine," Jack assured, holding is side. "It's not that bad."

"No, what happened to your face?" she asked, pointing to his jaw.

He had completely forgotten. "Oh, um…that's what I wanted to talk to Harry about. Where is he?"

"He went to see Tonks Lupin about having her talk to a few of his classes. He shouldn't be gone long. But in the meantime you'd better tell me what happened," she said with her hands on her hips.

"You'd better sit down," he advised.

She nodded and took a seat next to him. "Maybe its better that I tell you first anyway rather than Harry…"

"You won't find out until you tell me," Ginny said impatiently.

"Well, Lily and I went to bed last night but we…we didn't go right to sleep," Jack began.

"Liked the nightgown, did you?" Ginny said, smirking.

Jack felt his cheeks warm with color. "Yeah," he said looking away. "It was very nice. Different. I've never seen her wear anything like that before."

"Well, she's a lady. She has the right to be seductive when she wants to be," Ginny told him smugly.

"Anyway, we were…well we were quite in the middle of something if you get what I mean and suddenly she starts screaming at me."

"Screaming," Ginny repeated.

"Yeah, she was asking me what I was doing and how she got here. I could see in her eyes that she didn't know it was me. I tried to get her to focus on me but she got her hand free and punched me in the face."

"So that would explain this little number," Ginny assumed, indicating his bruised jaw.

"Yeah," he said, tenderly touching it. "She kind of stunned me a bit and she got up from the bed and ran to the door. It was locked obviously and when I walked over to her she started screaming at me to leave her alone. She tackled me to the ground and that was when she realized it was me," he concluded, letting go of a breath.

"Was it a flashback?" Ginny asked, standing up and going to get her wand to see if she could do anything about his jaw.

"No, she was there with me one minute and then she was with him," Jack said firmly. "He's never been able to do that before. Before when she's had the episodes when she's been awake it's almost like she goes into a trance or something. But this time it was different."

"Oh dear, poor thing. She must be terrified," Ginny said regrettably, glancing up at the ceiling.

"She was really upset that she hit me last night. I told her it was nothing, but you know how she is."

Ginny nodded. "You will have to tell Harry, of course."

"Tell Harry what?" a voice asked from the backdoor. Jack and Ginny both turned their heads and saw Harry standing there with an apprehensive look on his face.

"Hey Harry," Jack said with a fake smile.

"What's going on? Who cleaned your clock?" he asked, walking over to Jack and tilting his head up towards the light to get a better look.

"Your daughter did," Jack said once Harry was done with his examination.

"Excuse me?" Harry looked at Ginny with a shocked expression.

Jack launched into his story once more; telling his godfather everything from beginning to end and ignoring his own embarrassment at certain times. Harry sat down next to Ginny, and by the time Jack was finished he had a firm grip on her hand below the table.

"What are we going to do?" Jack asked after the room was silent for a few minutes.

"I'll tell you what we're going to do," Harry said angrily, standing up. "I'm going to track down that son of a bitch and introduce him to my own fist. See how he likes dealing with someone his own size."

"Harry, calm down," Ginny advised.

"No, I will not calm down, Ginny," Harry yelled, now pacing the room. "The man comes into my home and kills Lily's mother in cold blood. And now he's putting my daughter through hell! Well, enough is enough! He's going to wish he'd never heard my name by the time I'm through with him. He's going to--"

"Harry, stop," Jack said forcefully looking over Harry's shoulder and into the door leading to the living room.

Harry slowly turned around and saw Lily standing there, wearing her robe and with tears running down her face.

a/n- Please review!


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Answering Questions

A/N- This is the chapter many of you have been waiting for. Read carefully so you understand what's happening. Also, I just wanted to address the word "mom" used in this story. When Lily says Mom instead of Mum it is simply a reflection of her accent because she wasn't raised in the UK. It is not a typo on my part, I wanted it that way. Anyway, please please please review!

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Recap from last chapter-

"What are we going to do?" Jack asked after the room was silent for a few minutes.

"I'll tell you what we're going to do," Harry said angrily, standing up. "I'm going to track down that son of a bitch and introduce him to my own fist. See how he likes dealing with someone his own size."

"Harry, calm down," Ginny advised.

"No, I will not calm down, Ginny," Harry yelled, now pacing the room. "The man comes into my home and kills Lily's mother in cold blood. And now he's putting my daughter through hell! Well, enough is enough! He's going to wish he'd never heard my name by the time I'm through with him. He's going to--"

"Harry, stop," Jack said forcefully looking over Harry's shoulder and into the door leading to the living room.

Harry slowly turned around and saw Lily standing there, wearing her robe and with tears running down her face.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Answering Questions

"Malfoy killed Mom?" Lily asked more than stated.

Harry shook his head and walked towards her slowly. "Honey, we need to talk about this."

"Did he?" she screamed over him. "Did Draco Malfoy kill my mother?"

Harry nodded and took another step towards her. "Yes, but it wasn't just him it was--"

She saw him approaching and took a step away from him. "No! Why didn't you tell me? Why, Daddy? Why does everyone else always know more about my life than I do?"

"Lily, I didn't want you to find out like this--"

She cut him off. "Then you should have said something!"

Harry should have known better, but all the stress from the situation seemed to have finally got to him and he raised his voice. "When? When did you want me to tell you? When you woke up in the hospital that night I came back? Or perhaps when we found you in Malfoy's cell? Or maybe when Jack was still unconscious and we didn't know if he'd live or die? I wanted to tell you but I just couldn't find the words!"

"How does Malfoy have anything to do with Mom? How did they even know each other?" Lily asked, speaking in a voice that equaled her father's.

"Your mother was a pure blood. She was betrothed to Malfoy a long time ago. They killed her because she was with me, and she refused her birthright."

She took several short breaths and concluded, "So that's what he wants with me! He wants to get even through me! Why doesn't he just kill me then? Why not just get it over with!"

"Lily," Harry tried to approach her but she held up both her hands and shook her head.

"Stay away from me! You lied to me!"

Harry backed away, looking like he'd just taken a curse straight to the heart.

Lily held her head in her hands and wept. "How could you have kept this from me? All this time I thought there was something wrong with me! I thought I deserved this! Why?"

"This is not what you deserve," Harry said firmly.

She covered her ears with her hands and fell against the wall. Her sobs raked through her body and her legs threatened to give out from under her. Harry looked back at Ginny and Jack. Ginny looked at him sympathetically and Jack looked torn between wanting to slug him one and wanting to feel sorry for him. Jack moved to stand up and go to her but Ginny put her hand on top of his to stop him. She knew they needed to try to work this out on their own if at all possible. Harry turned back to Lily and tried once again to comfort her.

"No!" she said, taking her hands away from her face and pointed at him angrily. "Do not touch me! Do you know the kinds of things he said to me in that chamber? How he told me I was unlovable? How he said everyone in my life was gone because they couldn't bear the sight of me? He told me I was worthless. That I was nothing. That no one would ever love me because I was tainted. I was ten years old, Dad! Why weren't you there? Why didn't you protect me from him? You knew! You _knew_ all along that he'd come after me and you left me anyway!"

"I'm sorry," Harry said meekly, no longer able to look her in the eye.

"I had dreams while I was there. Terrible dreams. I'd see you hand me over to some man. You didn't even look at me, you just told him to take me and go," she said, continuing to look at him with hurt written all over her face.

"You never told me about those dreams," Harry said quietly, his voice heavy with sadness.

"That's because I thought it was just a dream. But it wasn't, was it? It was real! You never loved me. You just got rid of me because I was a problem you didn't want to deal with!"

This time Harry did look up at her. "I did love you! I've loved you your whole life!" he said frantically.

"Then where were you? If you knew who was coming then why did you leave?"

"I was always there when you needed me!" Harry confessed. "I watched over you after I put you in the orphanage."

"But you weren't _there_! Don't you understand? I needed you! Where were you when I had nightmares and woke up screaming? Where were you when I needed someone to hold me and tell me they loved me? Where were you when I fell out of a tree when I was four and was unconscious for hours?"

"I was there," Harry interrupted, looking resolute. "I came and sat by your bedside. I held your hand."

"But don't you see…I didn't know you were there. I was alone. So alone. I had no one when I should have had you! Where were you when Malfoy first took me?" she challenged resolutely.

Harry shook his head and looked away again. "I…I don't remember."

"Oh, how convenient," she muttered.

"I don't remember anything from that time period. I'm sorry I wasn't there." he could feel tears of his own prickling behind his eyes. He fought hard to blink them away.

"Why couldn't you just protect me yourself?"

"I did it to keep you safe," Harry said with determination.

"Safe?" she said laughing coldly. "You call this safe? Look at me, Dad. I'm a wreck. I've never been safe!"

"Lily, I only did what I though was--" he stopped talking when he saw her take her face in her hands again and stagger back to the doorframe, where she promptly slid down to the floor. Her whole body was shaking as she tried to suck in short breaths of air.

Jack shoved Ginny's hand away and rushed past Harry and was by her side in an instant. She didn't even look up to see that it was him before she leaned forward and held on to him for dear life. Harry felt someone take his hand and he turned to see Ginny looking up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Breath, Lily. It's okay, just take slow breaths," Jack soothed. He cupped the back of her head with his palm and looked up at Harry and Ginny. "I think she's having a panic attack. Her breathing isn't right and she's shaking really bad."

Ginny let go of Harry's hand and rushed to the potions cabinet. She scanned the shelves until she found a vile of calming potion. She ran back to Jack and handed him the small bottle. Once she'd done that, she took Harry's hand again and they both walked closer cautiously.

Jack tilted Lily's head up towards him. "Lil, come on, you've got to take this."

Lily looked up at him but didn't really seem to be taking in what he was saying. Jack was able to easily slip the potion into her mouth, even without her cooperation. Within moments he felt her tense body relax a bit, though tears continued to flow down her face.

"Shhhh, you're alright. You just need to calm down. That's it…shhh," Jack continued to whisper in her ear while Ginny and Harry watched close by.

Several minutes later, Jack looked up at them. "She's out," he said, clearly relieved.

"We should take her upstairs," Ginny suggested.

"I can't carry her," Jack stated, looking up at Harry.

Harry nodded his head and tried to focus on what was going on right now, rather than the hatred he had just seen in his own daughter's eyes. He bent down and hooked her legs over one arm and supported her back with the other. He stood back up effortlessly.

"I'm going to go floo that healer from the other night," Ginny said, walking to the fireplace in the living room.

Harry walked to the stairs and Jack followed behind slowly. Once he was up the stairs, he entered the bedroom and laid her down on the bed. He was adjusting the covers over her unmoving body when Jack limped into the room. He summoned the overstuffed chair to the side of the bed so he could sit next to her. Jack crawled in bed next to her and took her hand firmly in his. He didn't meet Harry's probing eye from across the room. They sat in silence until Ginny came into the room.

"She said she'd be right over. Her shift just ended," she declared to the tense members of the room.

"Jack…" Lily mumbled without opening her eyes.

"Yes, love," Jack responded quickly, leaning down so he could hear her better.

"I had a bad dream…" she whispered.

Jack looked up at Ginny who nodded her head.

"It's just a hallucination," she explained. "It's a side-effect of the potion."

"Jack," Lily said louder. "I don't want to be alone…"

"You're not alone. You can stay with me tonight," he told her as he lovingly caressed her cheek. After this she seemed to drift back off into a deeper sleep. Harry looked at Jack curiously. "She used to do that when we were younger. She'd have a bad dream and come sleep with me for a little while."

Harry nodded his head but said nothing. He couldn't think about anything other than the words exchanged downstairs. Ginny came and perched on the arm of Harry's chair, almost as if to let him know she was there for him, and they all sat in uncomfortable silence as their waited for the healer.

Jack decided he should probably say something. He cleared his throat and tried to find the right words. "Harry…um…I know she didn't mean the things she said. She was just upset."

Harry looked up at his godson and smiled sadly. "She may not have meant what she said, but her words were the truth. That dream she described, it really wasn't a dream. That's how it happened when my bus came to take Lily to the orphanage."

Jack shook his head. "But why? I mean…she's your daughter."

Harry looked up at Ginny and silenced her from saying anything. He didn't want someone coming to his rescue. He deserved this. "Jack, that was really a bad time for me. Lily reminded me of things, things I really wanted to forget about. I did love her, but I was too hurt and ashamed of myself to show it."

"Daddy…" Lily suddenly said hoarsely.

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard her speak up again. He leaned forward on his seat and took her hand. "I'm here, sweetheart."

Her eyes were still closed but her face was scrunched up as if in confusion. "Make the bad man go away," she told him.

He shook his head. "Honey, I don't know who you're talking about…"

"He hurt me," she mumbled shaking her head.

"Who?" Harry asked, somewhat frantic.

It was a few seconds before she said anything else. "I didn't want to leave Mrs. Sanders." Her head shook from side to side on the pillow and her eyes clamped shut tight.

"Who's Mrs. Sanders?" Jack asked.

Harry didn't look at him when he answered, "She was one of the people who worked at the orphanage."

"Daddy, how did you find me?" Lily said louder.

Harry sat down on the edge of the bed on the opposite side as Jack and took both her hands in his. "I'm here now, Lily," he assured her. "I'm right here."

"Don't let him get me again," she cried. They all saw the tears seep out from under her closed eyelids.

"I won't," Harry promised. "You're safe now, honey."

"Will you stay with me?" Lily asked, and to everyone's surprise her eyes opened just a crack.

"I will," Harry said, smoothing the hair off her face. "Always."

Lily's eyes closed once more and this time her body stilled and she said no more.

While Lily seemed to have finally found rest, Harry's mind seemed to be going a mile a minute. If this hallucination was like the first one, then that would mean that it was more of a memory than anything else. But that would mean…

There was a knock at the door and Ginny jumped up immediately. "That will be the healer." She left the room to go answer the door.

Jack seemed to sense that Harry didn't want to be bothered with questions just yet because he remained quite. Harry let go of one of Lily's hands and Jack took hold of it, squeezing tight. Within moments they heard the sounds of feet on the stairs and they looked up to see Ginny and Healer Dodger standing in the doorway.

"Ginny tells me she had a slight panic attack," the healer said, stepping forward.

"Yes, and her attacks seem to be advancing. She had an episode with Jack last night," Harry told her, getting up from the bed to make room.

Jack explained further. "She didn't' know who I was. She was awake and it was like her consciousness thought she was somewhere else."

The healer nodded. "Yes, I expected this to happen."

Ginny, Harry, and Jack all exchanged expressions of confusion. "Excuse me; you said you expected this to happen?" Ginny asked for the collective. She walked over to the armchair and resumed her previous position. Harry took a seat in the chair again and wrapped a loose arm around her waist.

The healer took Lily's vitals and began to explain. "While Lily was in the hospital I had some of her blood tested. I looked at it and what I found was startling. She's been put under a blood curse; a very powerful one. Personally I've never heard of it being used on someone who isn't a pure blood but I guess it could be used on anyone. The spell she was hit with the other night had something to do with the curse as well."

"What's this curse's name?" Harry asked.

The healer stopped checking Lily over and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "It has a formal medical name of course but it's commonly known as the Crystal Curse."

"What exactly does it do?" Jack asked.

"It creates a window between two people; one might even call it a channel or a means of control. It can result in visions or any of the other things Lily is experiencing. It does not work both ways. The caster of the curse wields all the power. What I mean to say is that Lily cannot do the things to the caster that the caster is doing to her. She can't pull him into a nightmare or anything. How the spell works is that it literally takes the soul from the body and summons it somewhere else." The healer stopped there and allowed this information to sink in.

"So, is there anyway to get rid of the curse?" Harry wondered hopefully.

"Oh yes, you can get rid of it," the healer said at once. She paused for a moment and then added, "If you're willing to live with the consequences."

"Consequences, what kind of consequences are you talking about?" Harry asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Jack, do you know what a magical bonding is?" Healer Dodger asked intently.

Harry felt Ginny take in a breath beside him and he looked to see her eyes wide and her hands clutching her knees.

Jack opened his mouth several times before he finally managed to say, "I've heard of it, but I don't think that--"

"What? I've never heard of it," Harry informed them.

The healer turned back to Harry and spoke to him. "A magical binding or bonding is something that we don't see much nowadays either. Again, it was used years ago in arranged marriages or in pure blood families. Basically it is a marital union with several, shall we say unique characteristics."

"Okay, so what does that mean?" Harry asked, trying to move things along.

"It means that if Jack and Lily have a magical binding they will be bonded through their magic, spirituality, and body. If they are bonded, Jack would be able to cancel the original Crystal Curses caster's claim to Lily because a bonding is much more powerful magic. He would become the power holder of the curse but so long as he doesn't evoke the curse there won't be a problem."

"But there are drawbacks," Ginny pointed out.

The healer nodded, "Yes, as I said this isn't a perfect solution. As I said, binding is an ancient concept. It is not exactly equal to the female partner. She becomes somewhat dependent on him. He can make her do things by simply willing her to do so. They can never be apart for any length of time. If they are they will both experience weakness in certain areas such as their magical ability or their stamina. There can also be no infidelity on Lily's part. If she were to be with someone other than Jack willingly, she would die. That's just part of the deal."

"But what about Jack?" Harry asked.

Healer Dodger shook her head, "Oh, Jack can have as many infidelities as he wants. As I told you, the curse isn't always fair."

"Forgive me," Harry stated, "But this doesn't sound all that bad. I mean Jack is never going to try to control Lily and she's not going to have an affair. I mean, Jack doesn't _have_ to control her does he?"

"No, I don't," Jack said quickly. "But I might do it unintentionally."

"Unintentionally?" Harry repeated.

The healer decided to explain. "Well, he could summon her to him if he's thinking about her hard enough. There is a whole host of things that could happen with their magic if they're arguing. I guess it all depends on the situation."

"How do you perform a bonding?" Harry asked, deciding to move on.

"It's just a spell spoken at the ceremony," the healer clarified. "There is quite a bit of preparation before the spell can be spoken. There are incantations and potions that need to be taken. It is not an easy process."

"Will have to talk to Lily about it when she wakes up," Harry stated, looking over at Lily's sleeping face.

"It is also completely permanent," Ginny added, surprising everyone. Harry looked at her then back to the healer.

"Yes, that's true. Once the process is complete, there is no going back," the healer confirmed.

"What's the problem with just concentrating all our efforts on finding Malfoy?" Jack asked pointedly.

"The Crystal Curse grows more powerful over time," the healer stressed. "You've seen it already. The longer Malfoy has control the more likely it is that he could summon her body and not just her spirit."

"Well," Harry said standing up, "You've given us a lot to think about. Thank you so much for coming out here."

Healer Dodger stood as well and walked towards the door with Harry. "I'll start brewing the potions. If she decides this isn't what she wants to do then we don't have to use them, but this is really our only option. The only other thing that would break the curse would be for the caster to be killed."

Harry nodded his head, "We'll explain it all to Lily when she wakes up." By now he and the healer were to the stairs. He turned to her and stopped her from continuing on by taking a hold of her elbow. "Healer Dodger--"

"Oh please, call me Mary," she politely suggested.

"Mary, um…several years ago I experienced an event I guess you could call it and for some reason I lost parts of my memory. I was picked up by muggles in an abandoned field, and I spent a very long time trying to recuperate. I had to learn how to walk again and several other key motor skills were affected. I remembered who I was and the people in my life but some recent occurrences were blanked out from my mind. I don't recall the last three months before I was found in the field."

"I see," Mary said, trying to understand where he was going with this.

Harry scratched his chin in concentration, "Well, the reason why I'm telling you this is that during the time in which I have no memory of, Lily was kidnapped by Draco Malfoy. She was ten years old. I don't exactly know when during that time the kidnapping took place because everything is so blank, but I do know it happened around that time."

"I remember hearing about that," Mary thoughtfully recalled.

"You see, the thing is…I always looked after Lily while she was in the orphanage. I always watched over her to make sure that she was safe. I'd just look in on her from time to time. It was an agreement with the one faculty member who knew I was alive. I would disillusion myself and I would just be with her. And I know that if I had gotten wind of what had happened to her that I would have done something about it."

"I'm sure you would have."

"But what if I did," Harry surmised. "What if I did know and I did something to try to get her out and something happened? Could I have been hit with some kind of memory charm or something…something that would make me forget what happened?"

"Well, I suppose anything is possible when you're dealing with Death Eaters, Mr. Potter," Mary stated.

"I always wondered in the back of my mind if there was a connection, and then tonight Lily had some hallucinations from the potion Ginny gave her to calm her down--"

Marry nodded. "Very common."

"…And she started talking to me. Asking me to keep her away from the bad man, asking me how I found her, asking me not to leave her. Now, these hallucinations, they are remembrances, are they not?"

"Usually when they're that vivid," Marry agreed.

He finally had arrived at his point, "That is not a memory I've shared with her since I've been back. And it certainly wasn't something that happened before I sent her to the orphanage."

Mary was quite for a moment. "I see your point," she said reflectively. "There are a number of spells that would do the very thing that you just described. One of them sticks out in my mind at the moment. It's called the Divaga Counter Curse. It is named for the man who created it, and it isn't a counter curse really. Basically what it does is erase a traumatic event from someone's conscious mind. It buries the memory deep in the subconscious."

"Is there a way to retrieve the memory?" Harry wondered.

"Not really, though there is a way to bring it closer to the surface so you're able to piece together what happened, kind of like recalling a dream. The curse itself is sometimes a slow process, similar to an infection. Things at first seem blurry, then they seem vague and finally we seem to forget all together."

"What do I need to do?" Harry said, desperate to know the truth.

"There is a memory enhancing potion I can make for you. We'll see what that does and go from there," Mary recommended.

"Thanks again," Harry said, shaking hands with the healer.

"Make sure Lily gets some rest," Mary told him, "I'll see myself out."

"Goodnight, Mary," Harry called as he watched her descend the stairs.

"Goodnight, Mr. Potter," Mary called good-naturedly.

Harry stood there by the stairs for a few moments by himself. For the most part, he was just trying to remind himself to breathe in spite of everything going on. He scratched his head and sighed in frustration. Why can't things ever just be normal?

As if she had sensed that he needed an intervention, Ginny encircled her arms around his waist and pulled him against her. "Okay, Harry?"

Harry covered her small hands clasped at his waist with one of his much larger hands. "No, but with any luck I will be. Now all I have to do is convince my daughter that I'm not going anywhere."

"Just talk to her rationally. I'm sure she'll understand. It's just like Jack said, she's stressed."

He turned around and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I hope so."

"I was just heading down stairs to see what I can fix for dinner. Ron and Hermione are coming over with the boys."

"I'll come help," Harry declared.

"You don't have to, love. I know you don't like cooking."

"No, I don't," he said smiling, "But I love you and if the kitchen is where you're going, then that is where I will follow."

Ginny snickered and kissed him briefly on the lips, "Okay, lover-boy."

* * *

Jack remained by Lily's side long after Harry and Ginny went down stairs to see about dinner. In all their years of friendship, he'd never seen her as angry as she'd been earlier. He had to admit, she had a reason to be angry. Still, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Harry. He was sure that all those thoughts had crossed his mind at one point or another, and hearing Lily shout them back in his face couldn't have helped matters. He hoped Lily would be calmer when she woke up and that they would be able to talk through whatever was the matter.

He had been sitting up on the bed with her staring off into space for a few minutes, and when he looked down, he was surprised to see Lily looking up at him through sleepy eyes.

"Hey you," he said, leaning down and kissing her forehead. "How long have you been awake?"

"A few minutes," she confirmed. "I was watching you. What are you thinking about?"

"You," he said simply. He lay down in bed more and pulled her over so she was resting her head on his chest. She immediately wrapped an arm around his waist and snuggled closer.

"What about me?" she asked after a moment's interlude.

"I was thinking about how much you've been through. How I would give anything to make all that's happening to you just go away. How I feel like I'm failing you because I can't protect you the way I want to."

"It's not your job to protect me, Jack," Lily interrupted.

"Yes it is," he said, looking down at her. "Protecting you will always be my job. Do you want to know why?"

She nodded her head but said nothing.

"Because I love you," he explained. "I love you, and when I see you hurting, it hurts me. Everyone deserves someone in their life who looks out for them, who loves them unconditionally, and who is always there no matter what."

"So, you're my someone?" she concluded.

"Yep, whether you like it or not."

"I'll be your someone too," Lily told him.

She still had her head turn up towards him, and slowly he leaned down and captured her lips in a soft but meaningful kiss. It was almost like they were fulfilling a promise. Jack broke the kiss and guided her head back down to his chest.

"Lily, we've got to talk about something."

"What is it?" she asked, drawing imaginary circles on his t-shirt.

"The healer came over while you were out."

"Healer Dodger?"

"Yeah, the one from the other night. She's figured out how Malfoy is controlling you. He's using an ancient curse called the Crystal Curse. It forms a connection between you and him."

"Does she know the counter curse?" Lily asked, still with her head down but the hand that had been drawing circles was now clutching his shirt material.

"There is no counter curse, love. But there is a way to transfer control of the curse from him to me," Jack said, playing with a lock of her hair.

"How?" she asked, sounding on the verge of excitement.

"Through a magical bonding."

Lily took in a sharp breath and for a moment, said nothing. Jack waited for her to process what he told her patiently. This wasn't a decision they should enter into lightly and he wanted her to understand the magnitude of what a bonding would really mean.

"I didn't know they still did bondings," Lily finally said.

"They don't usually. Some pure blood families do but only rarely. In some ways it's kind of backward."

"And…um…would you be willing to do that?" she asked timidly, sounding like a small child who had just done something wrong.

Jack once again turned her face up towards him so he could meet her eyes. "Lily, I would do anything to make all the hell you've been going through go away. It's not really me that would suffer from this. It's you."

"You wouldn't have to use the bonding necessarily, would you? I mean I trust you, Jack. I trust you with my life, but there is nothing in a bonding that states you have to control me, is there?"

Jack thought of how to answer her. "Not really. The way it works is that you would get a strong sense of what I want. Kind of like a voice in the back of your head telling you what to do. I also might not have control over some of it. I might subconsciously want you to do something and you would still know what it was. I could even subconsciously make you do something you don't want to do."

"Well, Jack, even if you do, I know it will be nothing as horrible as what I'm doing now. But you know, if you're not comfortable doing this then we'll find another way."

"No, this is the only way besides killing Malfoy and with the way things are looking it doesn't look like we're going to be finding him anytime soon. He always seems to be one step ahead of us."

"The process for bonding is kind of complicated isn't it?"

"Yeah, there's potions and incantations and stuff, but the bond isn't permanent until the spell is cast at the ceremony."

"So how about this: why don't we go ahead and start the process while we continue to look for Malfoy. If we find him before the wedding then we won't need the spell at all."

"I'll do whatever you want me to do," Jack said faithfully. "I just don't want you to regret this later."

"Just so long as you don't make me dye my hair green or anything," Lily joked.

Jack laughed in spite of himself. "Well, love, that isn't really how it works. I can keep you with me if I don't want you to go anywhere. Or I can make you tell me the truth if I know you're lying to me. It's more of a mind game than anything else. It works in mysterious ways, that's why people stopped using it. It's kind of unpredictable."

Lily nodded her head and decided to change the subject. "Do you know where my dad is?"

"He's downstairs with your mom trying to figure out what to make for dinner. My parents are coming over later with my brothers."

"Oh right," she remembered vaguely.

"You want me to go get him so you can talk to him?" Jack asked, trying to push her into doing the right thing and reconciling matters with Harry.

"I guess it's now or never," Lily huffed. "I feel bad about some of the things I said."

"You were upset. He understands that," Jack said assumingly. "I'll go get him and then help Aunt Ginny with dinner."

"Do you think its weird…I call her mom and you call her Aunt Ginny?" Lily asked, suddenly realizing the strangeness.

"Yeah, I guess it is a little odd. I'm glad you have her though, Lil. She loves you."

"I know," Lily said, cracking a smile.

"I'm going to go get him. You stay here."

"Is that what you want me to do?" Lily asked with a smirk.

Jack caught the joke. "That isn't funny. I'm not exactly comfortable with you being able to know what I want you to do. It's going to take some getting use to."

"I'm only teasing," Lily pouted.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack said as he leaned down and kissed her before jumping up from the bed and leaving the room.

He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen at a brisk pace. He found that for some reason, he was in a pleasant mood. Maybe it was that they were finally a step closer to getting Draco Malfoy out of their lives. Or maybe it was just because a moment ago he saw Lily's face light up and smile.

* * *

Harry walked into Lily's room almost cautiously. He saw her sitting on the sofa with her legs pulled underneath her, staring off into space. Gently he drummed his knuckles on the wood of the door to get her attention. She looked up at him and smiled weakly.

"Come in, Daddy."

_Well, she's calling me Daddy again, that's a good sign_. Harry walked into the room properly and made his way to sit in the overstuffed chair next to the couch. He didn't say anything, even after he sat down. If she was still mad, he wanted her to get it off her chest. Lord knows, he deserved it.

"Do you think that maybe we can start over," she suggested tentatively. "Let's just pretend the argument downstairs never happened."

"I can live with that," Harry said finally.

"Let's start from the beginning. Tell me about Mom."

Harry settled back down into the chair. This was going to be one long explanation. "I guess the story starts when your mother died. I came home one night and found the house ransacked. There had clearly been a fight…"

He went on to tell her everything that happened the night Melissa died. He told her about how Melissa's father wanted her to marry Malfoy.

"So, you sent me away to keep Malfoy from discovering that mom had a child?" Lily surmised after he finished.

"That and the fact that Malfoy had it in for me too. I knew that if anyone knew I had a child, you would be hunted like a hawk. It was getting pretty bad before your mother died. I was getting threats and it just wasn't safe for you to be with me. I needed to try to track down the hiding Death Eaters. If I were dead, that would eliminate the threat on your life. People would stop looking. You see, it was a secret that I was in America. No one knew outside of the Weasleys and the people at work. I used spells to hide my appearance."

"But why did you leave me with your last name?" Lily asked.

"Well, I couldn't very well give you your mother's last name. I don't know why I didn't change it. I guess I still wanted to be your father… even if it was in that small way."

"Malfoy knows who I am now," Lily pointed out. "He knows I'm Melissa Pierre's daughter."

"Yes, but I don't think he knew when he took you. He couldn't have. Melissa was never officially recorded as your mother. When you were born we gave the hospital different names."

"You're name isn't on my birth certificate," Lily remembered. "There isn't a mother or a father on it."

"I know," Harry said, looking away. "I made sure of that. I think somehow Malfoy had an informant. He found you and took you because you were my daughter. He only discovered that you were also Melissa's daughter when he had you. That is when he cast the curse that you're dealing with now."

"So, the reason he took me was because of you, but the reason he's still interested is because of Mom?"

"Yes and no," Harry said. "You have to understand, Lily. Malfoy and I go way back. He has always loathed me. Think of how he feels. I stole the one thing that was supposed to be his. He wants to get to you and make you suffer so that I will suffer. And it's working."

Lily sighed and unfolded her arms from across her chest. She leaned forward and covered Harry's hand with hers. "Dad, I'm really sorry about the things I said downstairs earlier."

He squeezed her hand. "I know you are. I should have told you all this before. I did deserve to hear a lot of the things you said. When I sent you away…I wasn't in the right state of mind. Mel's death was hard on me and if I had been thinking clearly, I probably could have come up with a better solution than sending you off. I guess I just figured it would be better for me to let other people watch out for you while I tried to make the world a safer place for you in different ways."

"Did you mean what you said before? About watching over me?"

"Yeah, I did. I'd come to see you all the time. When you were sick or sleeping or even just playing. I couldn't get enough of you," he admitted. "You were the first thing that was ever really mine. You were mine to protect and I guess that's why I got a little crazy there for a while."

"I love you, Daddy," she said, eyes glistening with tears. "I love you very much. I might get angry with you at times and sometimes I don't understand why you did the things you did. But I will always love you."

They both stood up and they met each other in an embrace they both knew the other needed.

"I love you too," Harry whispered. "Everything that I have ever done has been out of love for you. I just wanted you to be safe."

"I know, Daddy. I know."


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Puzzle Pieces

a/n- Hello everyone! This chapter is mostly conversational and plot development. I'll admit its not the most exciting thing I've written but its needed. The next few chapters will have you holding on to your seats! Enjoy!

Chapter Seventeen: Puzzle Pieces

A week after Jack and Lily returned to Hogwarts, Lily found herself sitting in by the fire in their dorm by herself, waiting for Jack to return home. He'd been called to the office much earlier in the day because something had happened, and they needed his help. She had remained at the Ministry, feeling rather useless, so at midday she came back to wait. It was now nearly midnight and she was getting worried.

Ever since they started taking the bonding potions, things had started to change with her. She was able to feel his emotions a lot more, even when he was far away. At the moment she could tell he was heartbroken about something. He was tense and stressed and it made her angry that she didn't know why.

Flash hooted from his perch in the corner, drawing Lily's attention. She walked over to the owl and lovingly stroked the feathers on his proud chest.

"I'm sorry I'm not much company," she told him wearily. "I just wish he'd come home."

Flash hooted as if to agree with her and affectionately nipped her knuckle.

She walked away from Flash and started pacing the room. Should she go talk to his parents? _No, they'd be in bed_. Should she owl him? _No, he could be on his way home or he could be somewhere that he can't receive an owl._ Should she go try to see if anyone at the Ministry knew where he was? _No, they wouldn't tell her anything because she wasn't on the case_. She paced for another twenty minutes before the door behind her opened suddenly. She whipped around and was face to face with a very weary Jack Weasley.

"Jack, I've been worried out of my mind! Where have you been?" she asked quickly.

Instead of answering her, however, he took three long strides and engulfed her small frame tightly in his arms. He pulled her up onto her tip toes and buried his face in her shoulder. Somewhat stunned, it took her a few seconds before she returned his embrace. She didn't know how long they stood there, but it was long enough for her to sense that something had gotten him all riled up.

He finally released his firm grip on her, raised his head from her shoulder, and leaned down so their foreheads touched. His eyes were closed and he took in several long shuddering breaths as he ran his hands up and down her arms.

"Jack, you're scaring me," she said tentatively. She could feel the tension radiating from his body.

"No, baby, I'm alright. Just glad to see you," he said unconvincingly.

"Come on, I know it's more than that," she asserted. "Talk to me."

"Want to know what I need right now?" he asked roughly. "I really just need to be with you."

She opened her mouth to respond but stopped when she looked into his eyes. She could feel how much he wanted her. She could feel that for some reason he needed to be reminded of what it felt like to be with her and not have to worry about anything else. It almost seemed like he needed to see that there was still beauty in the world. His need was written all over his face, and yet still she worried.

"Jack, what--"

"Please," he pleaded painfully.

Sighing she cupped his face in both her palms and gentle guided him down to her. His lips met hers hungry with need and a hint of frustration. Sooner than she expected, he had her swept up in his arms. He carried her gracefully through the bedroom door, all the while never taking his lips from hers.

_

* * *

_

_Harry ran down the narrow hallway as fast as he could. He pulled Lily's small limp body closer to him as he turned the corner and went to the right. He needed to find a way out of here. He had the sinking suspicion that the halls of this prison where charmed to confuse people. _

_"Daddy," Lily said weakly against his shirt. _

_"It's okay, sweetheart, I've got you," he assured in a calm voice. _

_If truth be told, he was panicking. Where was the rest of the team? Suddenly a spell hit him hard from behind and he fell forward. He and Lily tumbled to the hard stone ground painfully. _

* * *

Harry bolted upright in bed, gasping for breath, and sweating profusely. He felt Ginny stir beside him and looked over to see her sit up and put an arm around him.

"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice husky from sleep, though she sounded concerned.

"A dream," he said breathlessly.

"Did you take that potion the healer brought over?" Ginny asked, "The one that's supposed to help you remember?"

"Yeah, I took it just before I went to sleep just like she said. My god, Gin!" he gasped, realization hitting him like a stunner. "I was there. When Lily was taken by Malfoy the first time…I was the one that got her out of there."

Ginny's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"That's the second time I've had a dream about it. And you heard Lily when she was hallucinating."

"Does she remember?" she asked with a confused look. "I mean, she would have said something, right?"

"No, she doesn't really remember, but her subconscious knows I was there. That's why she had that hallucination," Harry put together.

"Are you going to tell her?"

"I think I'll wait until I get a little more of it put together before I say something. I've got to figure it out for myself yet."

"How 'bout we go back to sleep now, though," Ginny suggested, falling back on the bed and allowing her eyes to start dropping.

"I'm sorry I woke you," Harry apologized.

"Come here," she beckoned. She held open her arms and guided his head down to rest on her chest almost like a small child. He held on to her tightly, feeling protected and content.

* * *

Sometime later, Lily woke up to find the room around her dark and cold and the space beside her empty. She was just about to sit up when she saw the bathroom door open and Jack walk out with his hair wet from a shower and a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Hey, sorry did I wake you?" he asked, noticing she was looking at him.

"Only because you were gone," she said softy.

He took off the towel and crawled into bed with her. "Come here," he said, opening up his arms and offering her a smile. She went to him without question and felt his arms around her as she rested her head on his bare chest. "I'm sorry," he breathed into her hair.

"For what?" She asked warily.

"About before," he said vaguely at first. He sensed her confusion so he explained. "I have no right to come in here late at night when you're clearly been worried about me and demand that you do things. I just needed you so bad and I didn't—"

"Shhh," she hushed, picking up her head and pressing one of her fingers to his lips. "Jack, I love you and I could see what you were feeling. I just want to make you happy."

"You do," he said, lovingly brushing her hair off her forehead. "You make me happy. I'm sorry, I know I don't say it enough. These days you are just about the only thing that makes me happy." He looked away for a second and looked back with shame in his eyes, "I didn't…hurt you or anything did I?"

"No, of course not," she dismissed.

"You know I just don't want being with me to remind you of…him," he said uncertainly.

"Jack, I love you. Being with you is the most natural thing in the world." She watched him nod his head and look away. "Tell me what's wrong," she said softly, there was no pleading, no condescending tone in her voice. She was genuine.

Jack's eyes seemed to glaze over. He appeared to have slipped into some kind of trance as he began speaking. "We were called to this house in Scotland. I don't exactly know where. We got there and found a small family of three, a mother, father, and their young daughter. They'd all been tortured and killed. The woman had been raped badly. The little girl…" His voice trailed off and he shook his head.

Lily nodded her head in understanding. She knew what a sensitive person Jack was. That fact was precisely what made him a wonderful person and a horrible auror. He couldn't detach himself from things. He carried his heartache with him. Aurors have to learn to distance themselves. From the looks of things, Jack wasn't learning.

"Jack, it's okay to be upset," she soothed.

He angrily shook his head. "Being upset isn't going to bring those people back, Lily. It isn't going to erase their suffering or change what's already been done. Those people woke up this morning a family and now they're dead. This is the kind of world we live in; a world where people kill each other for no good reason. Those people weren't a direct threat to the Death Eaters. They killed them because they could. It's as simple as that."

"That's why we're all working so hard," she pointed out, "To stop that from happening again."

"Well, all our hard work didn't save that family. Working hard isn't going change anything about the past. It isn't going to give our parents back their childhood and it isn't going to give us back ours. How are we supposed to fight an enemy that wants only to destroy? I mean, there's no logic in it. Don't they know there will be nothing left eventually?"

"I don't quite know how to answer that," she said honestly.

Jack looked her in the eye and for the first time in several minutes he seemed to really see her. He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I'm not angry with you. I'm sorry if I seem like I am. I rushed home to you because I just needed to prove to myself that there was one thing in the world I could save. One thing that was still mine. Something that was still beautiful and normal despite all that's happened. I needed to remind myself that one day I will find something that I'm really good at and I won't have to keep doing this."

"I'll always be yours, Jack. No matter what happens. And you will find whatever it is you're seeking."

"I think I already have," Jack said, pulling her closer and finally closing his eyes.

* * *

The starry skies above Hogwarts hung over Lily's head as she lay on her back, gazing heavenward. Her hands were behind her neck and her knees were pointed up towards the sky in a lazy manner. The Quidditch field around her was completely vacant since their team practice had ended about a half hour ago. The rest of the team's players had gone back up to the common room but Lily had stayed behind. It was a Friday night and she had to work in the morning, so she couldn't stay out too much longer.

She and Jack had fallen into a mindless routine which consisted of work, school duties, sleep, and occasionally food. They were almost never together during the week and on the weekends when Lily wasn't working at the hospital, and they had little or no time together as a couple. Jack was now so engrossed in tracking down the troublesome Death Eaters that he spent most of his days out of the office gathering evidence while she stayed at the ministry where it was safe. Lily had never thought of herself as someone to sit on the sidelines, but the bonding process had taken a greater toll on her magic than it had on Jack's. Her magic was now unpredictable and no one felt safe with her being out in the field.

When they happened to find a spare moment, they were too tired and their minds too preoccupied to be of much company. Lately, Lily had found she was often just too tired to be much fun, even if Jack was in the mood to go hang out with their friends in Gryffindor tower. She knew he was somewhat annoyed, but most of the time when he went to be with Brad and Dylan she would stay in their dorm, usually sleeping or studying.

A month had passed since Jack and Lily had come back to school and life was not any easier. Most of the wedding planning for the wedding had been taken over by Hermione and Ginny, though Lily helped whenever she could. The week Lily had spent with Ginny planning the wedding had really helped move things along. They had sent out the invitations, ordered her dress and the bridesmaid dresses, and ordered the flowers.

The sun had just dropped behind the mountains and hills in the distance but the sky still held some of its former light. The ground beneath her back was cold and there was a definite chill of fleeting winter in the air. The weather was so warm in fact that the only explanation was that the January thaw had come late this year, that or spring was arriving early. Whatever the reason, the weather seemed to mock Lily's bad mood nonetheless.

Looking up at the stars, Lily thought about all the things that had happened in the past few years. She wondered about all the little surprises the next few years would hold in store, though the future was such a hard thing to think about in times like these. Mysterious attacks and deaths had been taking place all over the globe for nearly a month. Things just never seemed to slow down.

On top of that, Jack was behaving strangely at work. He seemed to have something on his mind, which he didn't want to talk to her about, and often times at the ministry he would be called into secret meetings and be gone for hours on end. He never talked to her about what happened during the meetings or why she was never present at any of them. She knew she had been in a poor mood since Christmas and the Devon incident, and she knew he was frustrated because he didn't know how to help her. He really didn't display anything irregular when they weren't at work. When they were at Hogwarts, he was his pretty close to his usual self. Still, it made her uneasy.

"You look like you could use a little company," a voice said, interrupting her deep thought process.

Lily turned her head and saw her father, Harry, standing with his hands in his pockets. She lifted her head up off the ground to look at him better.

"Don't get up. I'll come to you," he said, lying down next to her in the grass. They stared at the milky sky for several minutes in complete silence. The only noise was created by the wind whisking through the trees of the forest all around them.

They both had their minds on different things, and most likely neither of them even bothered to pay attention to nature's song around them. Harry wondered how he if he was ever going to get her to open up to him again. It sometimes seemed that the more things went wrong the further she pulled herself into her shell. He could tell that Jack was frustrated with this as well, but Jack had yet to say anything to anyone. Jack himself was rarely seen by his family. Harry could tell this too was a strain on Jack and Lily's relationship.

"Did you ever talk to Dylan's little brother?" Harry asked suddenly.

She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice interrupting their comfortable silence.

"Yeah, I went to see him about a month ago. He's decided to wait until he's of age and then join the department. He says he still wants to, but at least now he doesn't have to deal with it until he's ready," Lily answered somberly. "Or at least until he's legally ready. But being of legal age won't make him ready for what he'll face as an auror, in my opinion."

"When Dylan said that he's seen what the auror department has done to you and Jack,' what did he mean?" Harry wondered. This question had not just come to him, but he'd been meaning to ask her about this since the night Dylan came to ask for his favor.

She took a shuddering breath before answering him. "Jack and I have always been somewhat separated from everyone else in our year. We didn't bond with the kids who were our age because we were not in class with them and therefore we weren't very close to many of them. But we were very close with Dylan, Brad, Mea, Allan, and Christy. We were always together whenever we could be. I guess that all kind of stopped after we started working with the department. We just didn't have time to maintain the type of friendships we used to have. Dylan says that the auror department has hardened the both of us."

"What do you think? Has it changed who you are?"

"Growing up in the orphanage, we were taught never to trust anyone. Death was an ever-present enemy as most of the kids there had parents who were still alive, but couldn't take care of them. Often times those parents were killed. People were constantly trying to break into the castle to take kids as hostages in exchange for information. We were taught that all people were untrustworthy and the only way to survive was to question everyone and hold them at arms length. So I did. Then the whole thing happened with Malfoy just before I came to Hogwarts, and that only fueled the fire. It took me a while after I got here to really see that it was okay to trust people again. I made new friends, and I took risks I would never have taken if I hadn't been given this experience. Now, after working with the department, the distrustful tendencies of my past seem to have come back."

Harry sat and listened to his daughter's reasons and found himself shocked. This was not the mind of a seventeen year old girl. This was the mind of a grown up woman who had seen way too much devastation in her lifetime. He felt completely guilty that she had grown up that way, but still felt it was better than not growing up at all.

"What does Jack say?" Harry asked.

"Jack thinks that what we're doing is helping things. I know he feels cut off from everyone else like I do, he's just better at hiding it. He says he doesn't want to stay with the department for much longer, but he doesn't really know what he wants to do."

"There's nothing wrong with moving on," Harry told her. "You're an amazingly smart woman, Lily. You could do whatever you wanted to do."

"Someday maybe I'll feel secure enough to just pursue my healing career. But right now the auror department needs me," she replied almost regretfully.

"There will always be people in need of experienced aurors to protect them. You can't hide behind that fact forever. Why are you so afraid of being happy?" Harry knew he might make her mad by pressing into her personal business like this, but she was clearly miserable and he couldn't understand why she chose to remain that way.

"I'm not afraid of happiness. I don't think I've ever really known pure happiness. How would I know what it feels like?" Lily looked over at her father, whose heart was breaking. She sounded just like him all those years ago, right before he left Europe for America. He actually recalled a conversation very similar to this one, taking place between him and Ron.

"Weren't you happy living with your Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron?"

"I was happy to have them in my life. After years of having absolutely no one, it was incredible to have them there. But I've always felt like there was something missing. The only time I really feel whole is when I'm with Jack. But even that has changed." She sounded frustrated as she spoke and rubbed the bridge of her nose roughly.

"Do you still love him?" Harry asked, trying to bring her back to what was important.

"Jack deserves better than me," she answered, quietly looking away.

That wasn't the answer Harry was looking for but he responded quickly. "I don't think that's what he'd say if I asked him that same question. What do you think?"

"Sometimes people can be blinded by what's right in front of them. I love Jack with all that I am, which is why I want what's best for him. And I know that I'm not what's best for him. Sometimes love isn't enough."

"Why don't you let Jack decide what's best for him?" Harry suggested lightly. "You could consider leaving the department if it's not what makes you happy."

Lily was silent for a few seconds. She appeared to be deep in thought again, but this time Harry watched her face even after she looked away from him. She looked to be at odds over something. When she spoke he could sense her confliction in her tone.

"Dad, um…how did you react when Mom told you she was pregnant with me?"

Harry's eyes widened in surprise that she would bring this up out of the blue. They'd avoided talking about Lily's mother since their argument in January when she and Jack the time off. He wasn't quite sure how to answer the question without lying or starting another argument.

"Well, I was surprised and kind of shocked," Harry said vaguely trying to appear casual.

"But you still loved her…I mean even though she got pregnant when you really didn't want a child," she asked clearly uncertain.

Harry sat up and took a deep breath. Lily sat up with him and turned so she was facing him. Finally he spoke in an even tone and prayed that his voice wouldn't shake as much as his whole body seemed to. "Lily, it's not that I didn't want children. I did then and I do now. It's just that it wasn't the best time for me to start a family. To be quite honest I wasn't busting with joy over the idea of having you when we did. It happened out of the blue. We thought we were being careful."

"So, if you had it all to do over again you'd have been more careful?" Lily pressed further.

Harry struggled with this question like he had the last one. "Honey, I'm not a perfect father. I've made bad decisions about parenthood from the beginning. I know I've made mistakes in the way I've dealt with things with both you and your mother. But let me make myself very clear, you are not a mistake. I would never want to change history so you wouldn't exist. You are not something that went wrong in my life. If anything, you're the only thing that I ever really got right."

She seemed to think about what he said before she smiled a very unconvincing smile and looked away. Harry, however, caught the look on her face and knew this conversation ran deeper than simple curiosity. "Okay, Lil, what's this about? Why all the questions?"

"No reason really," she said quickly. "I was just thinking. You know, about stuff and I was only wondering."

"I don't believe you," he said suspiciously. "What's going on, sweetheart? You can tell me anything, you know."

"No, everything is fine. Can't I ask a few questions without the third degree?" She asked sharply.

Their relationship had been like this since he told her Melissa's true identity. She'd been edgy and easily aggravated. He knew he should press her and get her to talk about what was bothering her. But he didn't like upsetting her and frankly, he didn't like it when she was angry with him. They seemed to have such a fragile relationship lately, and he didn't want to jeopardize it anymore than it already was.

"All I'm saying is that if you ever need to talk about something I don't want you to feel like you can't come to me with your problems. Talk to me. Talk to Jack. I know something is going on and you're just not telling anyone anything."

Lily nearly completely ignored his comment and he could tell by her tense body language that she was loosing her cool.

"Speaking of Jack, I'd better get going before he gets too worried. I've been out here for quite a while." She then stood up and dusted herself off before walking back to the castle. Harry stayed there watching her for several minutes, unsure where to go next.

Lily returned to the dorm to find the room dark and cold. Jack had already gone to bed by the looks of things. She walked over to his bedroom door and entered as quietly as she could. She could faintly make out his shadowy form on his side of the bed. He was facing his nightstand and looked rather peaceful. She got undressed from her robes and Muggle clothes, and put on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt to sleep in. She climbed into bed as gently as she could, trying not to wake up Jack.

She had a feeling that this night would be sleepless. She hadn't been sleeping too well over the past week or so. She still came to bed and pretended to sleep only because Jack might worry if he woke up in the middle of the night and found that she was not in bed. Little did she know that Jack was off some where in his dreams, far, far away. He wasn't likely to return for a little while.

_

* * *

_

_Jack looked around carefully at his surroundings and knew immediately where he was. He was at the Burrow, though he must have gone back into the past in his dream, because everything looked a little different. He heard a soft thud from one of the floors above him and headed up the stairs to see what all the commotion what about. He reached the fourth floor landing and ran into two people. _

_"You're not making any sense!" a much younger version of Ginny Weasley said to an equally young Harry Potter. _

_"Ginny, it doesn't have to make any sense. I have to go to America. I don't know when I'm coming back. I'm sorry, look, I know it sucks but there is nothing I can do to change the way things are," Harry said while packing some clothes away in a suitcase. His back was facing to Ginny who had tears floating in her eyes and her arms folded defensively across her chest. _

_"You're leaving because of me, aren't you? I know what you're doing, Harry. What do you want me to do while you're gone?"_

_"Move on, Gin! Forget about me and forget about us! You deserve to be happy. You should have moved on ages ago when I left to go finish off Voldemort. You shouldn't have waited for me to get back. We never should have started this again," Harry said as he turned around to look her in the eye to enforce the harshness of his words with the coldness in his eyes._

_"You don't mean that. I know you love me. People don't do push those who love them way," Ginny replied weakly. _

_Harry hung his head and sunk down to sit on the edge of the bed. "I don't love you, Ginny," he said with his eyes on his hands lying in his lap._

_"What did you say?" Ginny asked slowly in disbelief._

_"I said I don't love you. I don't think I have ever loved anything or anyone. I don't believe I know how."_

_"Why are you doing this? Why are you going out of your way to hurt me?" Ginny's tears were now spilling over onto her cheeks, and she didn't make any move to wipe them away._

_"Better that I hurt you now when you still have time to find someone who really loves you. I have to go to America and do whatever they need me to do over there. I don't know if I'm ever coming back. Just forget about me, okay Gin?"_

_Ginny's facial expression went from pain to anger. She took a few deliberate steps towards Harry, pulled her hand back and slapped him hard across the face. Harry turned his face away from her and kept his eyes fixed on the ground below the window to his right. _

_Ginny spoke the next time in an emotionless tone. "Someday, maybe many years from now, you're going to look back on all this and regret it. You have someone right in front of you, who loves you even if you say you don't return that love. I'm going to turn around and walk out the door like you want me to. I'll give up if that's what will make you happy. I just want you to know that if you run into me years from now and find out that I'm completely miserable, it's all your fault. You may think you're doing me a favor, but you're really putting me through unnecessary hell, I can promise you that. I'll never forgive you for it. Goodbye Harry." _

_Ginny turned around and walked out the door and up the stairs. Harry remained still and silent for several minutes before he shut his bedroom door, blocking Jack's view. _

* * *

Jack opened his eyes slowly and blinked at the darkness around him. It wasn't morning yet, and judging by the position of the moon in the window, the night was far from over. He looked over at the person next to him and found Lily's eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling blankly.

"Hey, why aren't you sleeping?" Jack asked, rolling over onto his side to face her and gently tuck several stray strands of hair behind her ear.

"I couldn't sleep," she answered, looking over at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all. Go back to sleep, Jack. There's no reason for both of us to suffer just because I have insomnia," Lily said, turning her head away from him deliberately trying to end their conversation.

"Insomnia?" Jack asked with light confusion.

Lily turned her head back to face him and offered him a lazy grin. "Never mind. Really, I'll be fine. Go back to sleep."

He watched her for a few seconds after she turned her head back in the other direction. She looked worried about something. Maybe even a little frightened. If he could just get her to let go of her thoughts, maybe she could still get some sleep tonight.

"Come here," he softly told her has he held up the blankets that had bunched up as a barrier between them.

She nodded snuggled up to him, sighed deeply, and curled up in his arms at last. "Thanks," she whispered, "I needed that."

"I know," he replied. "Whatever you're fretting about, can you please just let it go until the morning. Whatever it is, I promise you it will still be there when you wake up."

"Alright," she said, letting go of a long breath and closing her eyes to welcome sleep at last.

a/n- Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! Chapter Eighteen will be up as soon as my wonderfulbeta looks it over!


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Breaking Point

Chapter Eighteen: Breaking Point

The next afternoon, Jack sat on his bed reading some paperwork from the ministry when he heard the door open and someone walk across the living room floor. A few seconds later the door cracked open to reveal Andrew's head peeping through.

"If you're busy I'll come back some other time," Andrew said, turning around to leave the room.

"No, come in Andy. I need a break from this stuff anyway. It's pretty boring! What's up? I haven't seen very much of you lately."

"Yeah, I know. Things have been kind of crazy with school and stuff. It's getting kind of intense." Andrew took a seat on the floor and leaned up against the dresser facing his brother.

"I can imagine. I've been there," Jack said, rubbing his forehead with his hands roughly.

"So the wedding's coming up, huh?"

"Yup," Jack answered with a smile. "Doesn't seem possible does it?"

"I don't know. You and Lily are kind of married already so I guess it won't be that big of an adjustment. She's already a sister to me, so this just makes it legal."

Jack nodded his head and looked at his brother intensely. "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you as much as I usually am. Things have been kind of crazy lately."

"I understand," Andrew said sincerely. "Are you still going on that long term mission next fall? Dad told me about it."

"No, the situation with that has…um…changed," Jack said uncertainly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I can give you specifics but I can say that the people who needed protecting are no longer around to receive it. I hate this whole secrecy thing but unfortunately it's necessary."

Andrew waved his hand to dismiss the subject. "How's Lily doing?" he asked, changing topics.

"She has good days and bad. I think she has more bad days than she likes to admit to me, but that's just Lily. She's always trying to play it off like she's fine when she's really not."

"What about you?" Andy asked.

"I kind of feel like a robot at the moment, but I'm alright," Jack answered, trying to bring some humor to the conversation.

Just then the door opened again, this time revealing Lily herself looking extremely tired and pale against her healer robes. She also had that look in her eye, the one that told Jack she'd had an awful day.

"Hey Andrew," Lily said, ruffling his hair as she walked passed him to sit on the bed next to Jack.  
"How's it going, Lil?" Andrew replied, his smile brightening.

"It's going good," Lily said unconvincingly. She looked over at Jack and could tell he wasn't buying her story. She decided it was best to come clean right away since he was going to get it out of her eventually, one way or another. "Okay, today wasn't so good. I lost a patient."

"You lost a patient? Did you find them?" Andrew asked, clearly not understanding. Jack couldn't help but laugh at his naïve remark and much to his joy, neither could Lily.

"The patient died, Andy. What kind of healer would I be if I physically lost my patients?" she explained as her face turned serious again.

"How old?" Jack asked, placing an arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder and signed deeply.

"Ten," she answered softly.

"What did he die of?" Andrew wanted to know.

"We're not sure. They brought him in and he was already pretty far gone. There was nothing we could do. I had to tell his parents," Lily said, even softer than before.

"I'm sorry, love," Jack said, rubbing her back and trying to offer some comfort.

"So what were you boys talking about before I came in?" Lily said, changing the subject trying to cheer herself up.

"You," Jack answered truthfully.

"What about me?"

"Jack was just telling me that he thinks you steal the covers at night," Andrew playfully lied.

Jack looked at his brother in mock shock.

"I do not," Lily said, smiling.

"You do too," Jack countered in spite of himself.

"I do not," Lily repeated, poking him in the side.

"You do too," Jack said louder, tickling her ribcage and causing her to collapse onto the bed with laughter.

"Well, you snore like a lawn mower sometimes," Lily fired back between fits of laughter.

"I do not!"

"You do too!"

"Real mature, guys," Andrew said sarcastically. He got up and walked toward the door. "I've still got studying to do so I'll see you both later."

"Bye Andy," Jack and Lily said together, still laughing.

"Do I really steal the covers?" Lily asked with puppy eyes.

"Like a bandit," Jack said leaning forward and kissing her neck lightly. As he kissed her he pushed them down so she was laying flat on her back with him over her. "But I guess I can live with it," he said, talking about her cover-stealing tendencies between kisses.

Lily couldn't help but smile and pull him closer. "Are you thinking impure thoughts Mr. Weasley?"

"Always," he said as he continued to kiss her, moving up her jaw line and finally covering her mouth. He undid the front of her robes with is free hand as the other one tangled itself in her hair. "I missed you today," he said against her lips in a low voice.

"Really? I couldn't tell," Lily stated jokingly.

"That's never going to change."

"You think?"

"I know," he said, cutting her with another kiss. She let him continue for a few minutes before she pulled away and looked up at him. He was somewhat confused at her behavior but didn't ask any questions when he saw the serious look on her face.

"I just can't get that boy's father's face out of my mind," she said, looking past him to the ceiling. "When is the fighting ever going to stop, Jack? When will parents stop having to worrying if their children are going to be killed by rouge Death Eaters seeking revenge? The war ended years ago, and look at us now. You would never know we were on the winning side."

"It's a wonder parents bring children into the world at all," Jack said darkly. "With all the fighting it seems just easer to stop having kids until the world is a safer place to raise them in."

Lily looked at him in shocked silence. When he met her gaze he knew immediately that she was looking for something within him.

"What is it, love?" He asked finally when it became clear that she wasn't going to make the first move.

She let got of the breath she'd been holding and continued to look at him strangely. "Jack, I have something I need to tell you."

"Lily, are you alright? Has something happened?" he asked frantically, thinking of a million things that could be troubling her.

"No, I'm fine," she said bringing a hand up to brush his cheek lovingly in reassurance. "I should have said something weeks ago, but I just-"

She was cut off when the fireplace in front of the bed roared to life and Dennis O'Connor stepped out. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, blushing as he looked at them.

Jack looked back down at Lily and realized that he was still partially on top of her. Quickly he leaped off her and walked over to his supervisor. "No, its okay…we um…weren't expecting company."

"Clearly," Dennis said in a very amused tone. "I remember what it was like to be seventeen and in love."

Lily stood up as well. Looking down she saw her winter cloak was undone and decided just to take it off. She stood in her white healer intern uniform and waited for Dennis to explain why he was there unexpectedly.

"I need to borrow Jack here for a while," he explained, seeing the look on Lily's face.

"Oh?" she asked looking at Jack somewhat confusingly. This wasn't the first time he'd been called away and she hadn't. It was starting to bother her; like he was keeping something from her intentionally.

"He'll be back later tonight. It's just a meeting," Dennis added quickly, sensing her annoyance.

"A meeting that you need Jack to attend but…not me?" she accused, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Actually….yeah," Dennis said uncomfortably.

"Love, it's alright," Jack said walking over to her and wrapping an arm around her waist. "It's just a meeting. You hate them anyway. I'll be back later."

Lily kept her arms crossed but softened the harsh look on her face. "I'm being silly. You go on."

Dennis turned back to the fire and was gone with a flash of light. Jack walked around the room until he found his auror robes. Once he had them on, he turned to the fireplace preparing to leave as well.

"Wait," he said turning around. "You wanted to tell me something?"

"No, it's nothing really. Go on," she said dismissively.

"Don't be mad," he said regretfully, coming back to her and holding her shoulders.

"I'm not," Lily lied, faking a smile. "It's nothing really. Go on. I'll be waiting for you when you get home."

"You better be," he said in a low growl. "I'll have to finish what I started." He kissed her, pulling her up to him and tilting her head back. Just as soon as his lips touched hers, however, they were gone. He walked to the fireplace and again but stopped and turned around, "Lily?"

"Yes," she said expectantly.

"I love you."

For a second, and only a second, he as fourteen again, and all the pain from recent years had never happened. She looked at him in wonder. Even after all they'd been through, he could still make her feel like she was the only thing he saw in the world.

"I love you too," she said sincerely. Jack smiled at her before finally flooing away to his meeting.

Lily stood there for a long time after he left. Why was this so difficult? Why couldn't she just tell him and get it over with. _Because he'll be angry_, her mind told her. _He'll think it's all your fault, and it is. You should have been more careful. He doesn't want this. Do you? _

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice abruptly interrupted her mental argument with herself.

"Lily."

"What!" She said a lot more harsh than she may have wanted. She turned to see her father standing in Jack's bedroom with an odd look on his face. "Sorry, Dad, you startled me."

"Were you talking to yourself?" He asked pointing at her.

Panic swept through her. Had she really said something out loud? "Um…maybe. Did you need something?"

Harry shook his head to remember what he'd come in here for; the sight of her looking so upset had hindered his thought process. "Yeah, it's Ginny," he remembered. "She's not feeling well and I was wondering if you would go have a look at her."

"Is she here or is she at home?" Lily asked, slipping into healer mode and trying to forget about her own problems.

"She's here in my quarters," Harry said, leading the way out of the dorm and into the hallway. Even though they had a house off school grounds sometimes when the weather was bad, or they just felt like sticking near Hogwarts they would stay in his professor's quarters.

"What's wrong with her?" Lily asked.

"She says it's just a cold or something. She's been really tired and sick to her stomach for over a week now," Harry explained.

"Does she have a fever?"

"No."

"Does she feel achy?"

"Um…I don't think so. She hasn't complained of that to me but you'll have to ask her yourself."

"And you say she's had these symptoms for over a week?" Lily repeated as they were now rounding the corner to the staff's quarters.

"It was about week ago that she first mentioned it to me," he said rather irritably. He suddenly reached out and stopped her from going any further by taking her by the arm. "Lily, what's going on? You were upset about something when I walked in and now it's like you've become a totally different person."

"Dad, I'm just trying to help. That's why you came to get me, right? To help Mom because she's not feeling well," she stated, looking at him for confirmation. When he nodded she continued, "So I'm not about to stand out here and argue with you about what I may or may not be feeling when I've got a patient inside who needs my help. If you want I'd be happy to discuss certain things with you later but not at the moment."

Lily walked around him and continued to the door with "Professor Potter" painted on the outside. She walked inside without a backward glance. Harry couldn't believe the mood she was in. She seemed so cold and indifferent. Something was up and he was going to make sure she came out with it because this behavior wasn't going to get them anywhere.

"Harry," a voice called behind him. He turned around and saw Ron walking up the hallway giving him a questioning look. Glancing around realized that he'd been standing in an empty hallway staring off into space. He must look like he had lost his mind.

"I just went to get Lily because Gin isn't feeling well," Harry explained.

"And that prevents you from going into your quarters?" Ron teased lightheartedly. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's been sick to her stomach and tired for over a week now," Harry informed him.

"Tired, huh," Ron said in a knowing voice.

"Yeah she's just not been herself lately. I woke up the other night and she was crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said that it was nothing. She said she just felt like crying," Harry recounted, shaking his head.

"Just felt like crying, huh?" Now Ron's face had broken out into a grin as he looked at Harry, who was still clueless.

"Why are you repeating everything I say?" Harry asked, somewhat irritated.

"Because I know what's wrong with her and you don't. When you find out what it is you're going to feel pretty daft that you didn't see it yourself," Ron concluded.

"See what?" Harry asked, now throwing his hands up in frustration.

"Come on, mate," Ron said throwing an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Let's go inside and wait for Lily to get done checking my sister over."

Harry nodded and allowed Ron to lead him into his quarters. Ron shut the door behind him and they both took a seat on the sofa in front of the fire. They waited in silence for a few minutes before Harry stood up and started pacing the room.

"I hope it's not anything serious," he said, mid-pace.

Ron had picked up a Qudditch magazine that was on the coffee table and was now flipping through it with mild interest. "Whatever it is, Harry," he said nonchalantly, "You have no one to blame but yourself."

"No one to blame…What are you talking about, Ron?"

"You'll find out in a few minutes, I assure you," Ron replied, not even bothering to look up at him.

Harry took a step towards him, perhaps to hit him, maybe yell at him. But Ron never found out what Harry would have done because a shriek from the bedroom interrupted him. The bedroom door flew open and Ginny came running out the room at top speed. Harry looked up just in time to catch her as she jumped into his arms squealing.

"Gin, what is it?" Harry asked, still holding on to her.

"Oh Harry!" she said, showering his face with kisses. "We're having a baby!"

Harry looked at her for a second in disbelief before he moved his eyes behind her to where Lily was immerging from the bedroom. Lily nodded in confirmation and his face broke out into a grin.

"I can't believe this!" he said, spinning her around and holding her tight against his body. He suddenly sat her down and held her at arms length. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked with concern, looking at her from head to toe.

"No, I'm pregnant not broken!" Ginny said, swatting him on the arm.

Harry's smile returned and he pulled her to him once more. "A baby! Ron, we're having a baby!"

"So I've heard," Ron said, beaming. He was now standing a few feet away from them. He looked like he'd just been told Christmas had come early. "Congratulations mate!" He took a step forward and gave Harry a very brotherly hug. "I didn't think it'd talk you long. You know, with Ginny being a Weasley and all!"

"Watch it, brother," Ginny scolded lightly, though her voice had still not returned to normal. She was bursting with excitement.

Ron dismissed her comment and gave her a hug as well. "I'm so happy for you, Gin."

Harry turned around while Ron and Ginny were having their moment, hoping to see Lily waiting for him with a smile. Instead he discovered that she'd left the room. "Where'd Lily go?" he asked the other two.

Ron let go of Ginny and they both looked around. "I don't know, Harry. She was right here," Ron said uncertainly.

Harry walked swiftly to the door and yanked it open. He looked in the hallway and found the quickly retreating form of his daughter already half way down the long corridor.

"Lily, wait!" he called, talking off after her. When she didn't stop he tried again thinking maybe she didn't hear him, "Please, Lily, hold on a second!" As he approached her, he saw that she had a letter clutched tightly in her fist.

Finally, after what seemed like a small eternity he reached her. He caught her by the shoulder and spun her around to face him. He was more than a little startled to see her face lined with tears and her eyes glazed over in the pale light coming from the candles floating above.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked after he got over his shock.

"I got a letter from the hospital while I was in the bedroom looking at Mom," she said, holding up her still clinched fist. "They need me to come back. Something's happened."

"Lily, honey, what's wrong. Please tell me," he pleaded. He raised his hand to her face trying to wipe some of her tears away but she took a step away from him to avoid his touch.

"Nothing's wrong, Dad. I'm sorry I ran off like that. Please tell Mom that I'll be back later when I get off work to congratulate her myself. Also tell her she needs to make sure she gets enough to eat. Have her come to me if her morning sickness gets too bad but she really needs to go see a maternity healer because I'm not supposed to prescribe her with anything." She said all this very fast as she continued to take more steps away from him. Harry wasn't letting her brush him off anymore.

"Sweetheart, please tell me what's wrong. I can't fix it if I don't know what's happened," he said, now cupping her face in his hand forcing her to look at him.

Lily closed her eyes and let out a shuttering sob. "You can't fix it," she said desperately shaking her head. "No one can."

"What happened?" he asked, pulling her into a tight embrace. She let him hold her for a few minutes. At one point she even gathered some of the material of his jumper in her hands and buried her face in the material. She continued to sob open, gut wrenching sobs before she pulled and refused to look at him.

She turned around and started walking away again. "I'm sorry I can't do this."

"You've got to tell me what happened," Harry called after her. "I have a right to know. You're my daughter!" She continued to walk away and now he was chasing after her. "Come on, Lily! We've talked about this! You need to open up to people when you're hurting!"

This time it was Lily wiped around on her own and glared at him through angry tears, "Oh and you're one to talk about being open with people. This coming from the man who's spent his whole life shutting everyone else out!"

"And look where it's gotten me!" Harry said in an elevating voice.

Lily smiled a mocking smile before making her comeback. "Yes, married to the love of you're life and about to become a father again! I hope this one turns out a lot better than me. I must be a sore disappointment!"

"I have never in your life called you a disappointment!" Harry yelled back. This was just going from bad to worse.

"I have to go," she said, turning around again.

"Do not walk away from me, Lily Elizabeth Potter!" Harry roared.

She turned around again, gave him a look that would probably have turned milk sour and said in a dark menacing voice, "No, that's your job."

Harry's mouth dropped open and his body seemed to be suddenly paralyzed. He watched her turn back away from him and run down the hall. At the end of the corridor she turned to the right out of sight.

She never looked back. Not even once. Harry stood there until he heard someone call his name. He looked over his shoulder and found Ron and Ginny standing a few feet away with shocked expressions. They walked to him slowly and Ginny put a hand on his shoulder.

"What happened?" she asked gently.

"I don't know," Harry said miserably.

* * *

Lily flooed to the emergency bay of the hospital with her emotions still raging. She didn't know why she'd blown up at her father. The moment she got out of the fireplace, however, all previous thoughts were forgotten. The place was in utter chaos. There were people everywhere. Injured bodies lay all over the floor. She advanced into a hallway which was filled with smoke and pulled out her wand. She saw a nurse running towards her and she held out her arm to stop her from going past.

"What's going on?" she asked the scared woman.

"Death Eaters!" the nurse said frantically. "They're attacking everyone! You're an auror aren't you?"

"Yes," Lily said. She was now very fearful. If someone hadn't notified the department she might be the only auror within a few miles radius, and in all the upheaval they might not even know what's going on.

"Then do something!" The woman screamed pointing behind her as if to indicate that was the direction the villains were attacking from.

"Make sure that an owl has been sent to Dennis O'Connor," Lily said finally.

The risk didn't matter to her. If she was the only person present who could help these people than she'd do whatever needed doing. "Try to clear all these people out of here. Get the ones that can walk out first and then carry the others."

The woman nodded and ran past her back down the hallway. Lily squared her shoulders and walked toward an enemy she felt like she'd spent her entire life fighting. The only question was whether she would be so lucky this time?

* * *

Jack sat in a chair in one of the conference rooms at the Ministry. The meeting felt like it had been going on for hours. They'd spent the last while talking about a recent killing in Australia of a magical family in their home. Aurors had arrived at the scene just in time to stop news of the Dark Mark's reappearance from being leaked to the rest of the world.

He checked his watch and saw that it was just after ten o'clock. Lily would probably be in bed by the time he got home because she had to work in the morning. He was only half listening to the report currently being presented, but his full attention was drawn when someone came into the room in a rush and went immediately to Dennis, who was sitting at the head of the table. The man leaned down and whispered something hurriedly in Dennis's ear.

"What! Why weren't we notified sooner?" He asked jumping to his feet at once.

"I don't know, sir. The place is in frenzy. People are hurt and I guess the message just got lost in translation," the man said apologetically.

"Bloody hell!" Dennis exclaimed, walking around the large oval table to the door. "All of you, there's been an attack at St. Mungos. You all need to report there immediately. I'm re-calling all off duty staff. Be careful, we don't know how many of them are still there and we don't know if they've taken any captives. Exercise extreme caution."

Dennis swept from the room and everyone got their feet and moved to the apparition point as fast as they could. Jack followed with everyone else and the only positive thought running through his mind was that Lily was at Hogwarts and not at work.

* * *

Harry and Ginny sat in their living room staring at the fire. Ginny had finally convinced Ron that she would take care of Harry, and he'd returned to his own quarters. Harry's head rested in Ginny's lap as she absently ran her fingers over his scalp.

"I've never seen her look at me like that," he said quietly, staring up at the ceiling.

"Like what?" Ginny asked.

"Like she loathed everything about me," he replied. She watched as tears collected on the edges of his eyes.

"Love, maybe this was too much too fast for her. I mean we got back together so soon and then we got married out of the blue. Now we're having a baby. Maybe it's all too much for her to handle at once."

"No, its something else," Harry denoted. "Something else is going on and I don't know what it is."

"Give her time," Ginny advised. "Go see her tomorrow and talk to her. She is under a lot of stress."

"Too much stress for someone her age," Harry added.

"No more stress than you were under," she reminded him.

"But I never wanted that for any of my children," Harry said, turning slightly to look at her stomach. "I want better for them."

"So do I," Ginny said sadly.

"I am really happy about the baby, Gin. You know that, right?" he asked suddenly.

"I know. I could see it in your eyes. It's kind of amazing isn't it?" she smiled that goofy smile again like she had earlier in the evening.

"You're amazing," he said slowly. He sat up and was about to pull her into a kiss when their door burst open.

"Harry! St. Mungos has been attacked!" Ron called out.

"Is Lily alright?" Harry asked on instinct. He was to his feet in an instant and already walking towards his best mate.

"I don't know. But we better get down there. They're calling everyone in. I don't think they're going to be able to cover this one up," Ron said in a hurry before taking off down the hallway. Harry turned back to Ginny, who stood by the couch looking nothing short of terrified.

"It'll be okay. I promise," he soothed, going to her and holding her for a second.

"Please be careful," she begged, holding back tears.

"I will. You go and find Hermione and wait with her. We'll send word when we know something. I love you." He kissed her briefly before he left to follow Ron, off to battle once more.

* * *

Healer Kevin Brisko hurried through the many hallways of the emergency department looking for people in need of help. The fighting was now mostly in the front near the triage area, so he felt safe enough to look for victims back here. When he came to the room at the end of the hall he found the door slightly ajar.

Entering the room he saw several unmoving bodies lying on the floor. Most of them were what appeared to be Death Eaters in their cloaking uniforms. Out of obligation, he went to each of them and found none of them had a pulse or showed any signs of life. There were two orderlies and a nurse as well. He went to them next. They were all dead as well.

Sighing, he took one last look around to see if there was anyone else worth saving. Through the darkness he got a glimpse of white robes. He recognized them immediately as those worn by interns and ran over to investigate. He felt the woman's neck for a pulse and was pleasantly surprised to find a slow beating heat. He examined her closer. Her face was scratched up and her body was tense and clammy. She showed all the symptoms of someone who'd been under the influence of the Cruciatus Curse. She must have eventually passed out. He looked up at her nametag. Lily Potter, it read on the typical blue plastic plate.

"Oh Merlin," he murmured under his breath. He knew this girl. But then again, who didn't? "Hang in there kid." He pulled her into his arms and ran as fast as he could to take her to one of the floors above which wasn't under attack, or so he hoped.

A/N- There you guys. Sorry about the cliffy! Please tell me what you think!


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Hitting Home

A/N- Surprise! I know everyone was angry with me over the cliff hanger so here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Nineteen: Hitting Home

Harry and Ron were amazed at the sight before them when they apparated to the outside of the hospital. Hundreds of people were outside on the lawn and down the street. Amongst them all were healers, nurses, interns, and assistants trying to help who they could. Harry scanned the area for Lily but couldn't see her anywhere. Ron spotted a fellow auror.

"Has the fighting stopped?" Ron asked.

"We think most of them got the heck out of here when we started showing up," the young auror explained. "The only ones left are either dead or injured badly."

"Have you seen my son, Jack Weasley?"

"Weasley…he's inside," the man said pointing to the doors. "Just in front with O'Connor and some others."

"And Lily Potter," Harry said loudly when he started to walk away. "Have you seen her?"

"No, I'm afraid I haven't," the auror called over his shoulder as he ran off.

"We'll find her, Harry," Ron assured as they took the stairs two or three at the time to reach the doors. They went through the doors to find the inside of the hospital in worse shape than the outside. The place was in shambles. They looked around and found Jack huddled in a group looking at what appeared to be hospital blue prints.

"Jack!" Ron called as they hurried over.

"I figured they'd call you," Jack said looking up at the two of them. "We think all of them are gone, or at least the ones that could get away. We've searched the whole hospital already and found nothing but bodies."

"Have you seen Lily?" Harry asked frantically.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, now giving them his undivided attention. "She's supposed to be at Hogwarts!"

"She got called here just when all this was starting," Ron explained quickly.

"They called her here!" Jack exclaimed turning around to one of the hospital's administrators who was in their group.

"Its policy," the administrator explained, "Letters automatically go out when there is a crisis."

"Well congratulations, you may have only succeeded in getting more people killed," Jack said accusingly. He then turned to Dennis, "I have to go find her. I'll come back to help with all this when I know she's okay."

Dennis nodded, "Yeah go. We're okay here for the time being."

Harry, Ron, and Jack set off down the hall. They searched all the rooms in the emergency department one by one. The hospital had been changed dramatically since Harry had been here with Mr. Weasley in his fifth year. It had been partially destroyed during the war and had to be re-built.

"She might be helping out on one of the floors upstairs," Jack said when they found nothing. "They're starting to take the wounded up there."

"Let's check it out," Ron said leading the way up the stairs.

When they got up to the second floor it became clear that most of the fighting had happened on the first floor because everything upstairs was just as clean and sterile looking as it always was. They searched the first three floors and found nothing.

"She could be outside," Ron suggested as they climbed to the next floor.

"I looked for her out there when we came in," Harry responded. "She's not out there."

"You could have missed her, Harry, there were a lot of people out there," Ron reminded him.

They got to the next floor and went to the nurses' station. Everyone was running around trying to handle all the injured people that kept coming in. Jack found a nurse dressed in the traditional green scrubs and got her attention.

"Excuse me, we're looking for Lily Potter," he said clearly.

The nurse looked behind her at the board and muttered, "Room 403," before hurrying away again.

The three of them set off in the direction of room 403 with new determination. They found the room and Jack walked through the closed door without knocking. Harry and Ron followed. There were a number of people in the room crowding around the bed.

"You can't be in here," an assistant yelled at them impatiently. "You'll have to wait outside."

"No, I'm looking for Lily Potter. She's a healer intern," Jack said, fighting when the healer tried to push them back outside.

"Well she's not today," the assistant said smartly. "She's a patient."

"What!" Jack and Harry both exclaimed in unison. They looked back to the bed just in time to see a part in the crowd and catch a glimpse of Lily's ashen white face.

"You have to wait outside," the assistant said pushing them back.

"That's my fiancée! I have to know if she's alright!" Jack said trying to push forward.

"A healer will come speak with you when they're done," the assistant told them as she finally pushed them into the hallway and shut the door. The three of them stood there in disbelief for a few seconds.

"Oh Merlin," Jack mumbled, leaning heavily against the wall. "Why did she come here?"

"She just got a letter that said something had come up and she left," Ron said, leaving out the argument she had with Harry on her way out.

"They never should have called people back here to this!" Jack protested angrily.

"We can't do anything about that now, Jack," Ron told his son taking him by the shoulders. "Lily is going to pull through. You both have been through worse than this."

Harry stood and watched them both, unable to think of anything accept what was going on behind that door. The door opened and a man in white floor length healer robes immerged.

"Who's Jack?" The healer asked the three of them.

"I am," Jack answered quickly stepping forward.

"I'm Healer Brisko," the healer said holding his hand out to shake Jack's. "Would you mind coming in here with me? She keeps calling out your name. I think she's a little frightened and it might help if there is someone familiar there with her."

"What's wrong with her?" Jack asked after looking at Harry's worried expression.

"She's going to be fine," the healer said somewhat grimly. "She got hit with the Cruciatus Curse a number of times in a short time span. I found her downstairs in an exam room. It looked like she'd been engaging with some of those Death Eaters."

"So everything's fine?" Jack asked just to be sure. "She's going to be alright? No lasting damage?"

The healer looked at Jack with great sympathy in his eyes. He took a step forward and put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I'm sorry son, but we weren't able to save the baby."

Jack looked at the healer blankly. Had he heard him right? Baby? The world around him seemed to stop turning on its axis. He took several deep breaths but no matter what he did he couldn't seem to get enough air into his lungs.

"Lily was pregnant?" Harry asked in disbelief. Ron had gone to his son and was trying to comfort him. But Jack didn't seem to notice his presence by his side.

"Yes," the healer confirmed. "I'm sorry…I thought you knew." He looked at Jack who looked up at him. He shook his head but said nothing.

"Do you know how far along she was?" Harry asked.

"Not very far. Only far enough where she would have been experiencing mild symptoms."

A nurse poked her head out of the door. "Sir, you'd better get one of them in here."

The healer looked to Jack but Jack wasn't really all that with it. Jack looked to Harry and shook his head. "Harry, I…ah…I don't think I can…"

"It's okay," Harry said putting a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I'll go. You come in when you've got yourself together."

The healer led the way and soon Harry found himself back in the small examination room. There were still two nurses and an assistant standing around the bed but things seemed to be less frantic than they had a few minutes ago. The healer took hold of Harry's arm and pulled him to stand on Lily's right side.

Looking down at her the first thing that he noticed was how off color she was. Her skin was almost transparent. She had some small scratches on her face and hands. Someone must have put her in a hospital gown because her healer uniform was gone.

"She's been sedated," Healer Brisko said behind him. "She'll probably wake up in a little while. Now don't be alarmed if she isn't all together when she wakes up. She might come in and out of consciousness for a while until the potions wear off."

Harry nodded and took her hand in his own. He'd never noticed how small her hands were in comparison to his.

The healer continued, "She's going to be weak for a while because of the curse. When someone his under the Cruciatus Curse for so long we worry about muscle deterioration. I think she will be in the clear in a few days though."

Harry found is voice finally and spoke softly, "Did she know…about the baby?"

"Yes," the healer confirmed, "She told me that she was pregnant when I was able to bring her around up once I got her up here."

"And…does she know that the baby didn't make it?" Harry asked, not even bothering to fight his tears.

Healer Brisko looked at him grimly, "Mr. Potter you're daughter has been training to be a healer for almost two years. She knows that a baby just doesn't stand a chance against the Cruciatus Curse."

"And are there any…lasting damage?"

"No, she should have no problem becoming pregnant in the future."

"Did she say anything? When she was awake…did she say…" he couldn't finish his thought. He didn't really know what he was hoping she'd said.

The healer nodded, "She asked for Jack several times. When I told her he wasn't here she asked me to tell him that she was sorry."

All Harry could do was look at her. He didn't ask anymore questions. He didn't even look up at the healer. He just held on to his daughters hand and stared at her. He'd been so stupid not to see it himself. She'd asked him how he'd reacted when Melissa told him she was pregnant. And then the way she acted today with Ginny…it had been right in front of his face all along. She'd been suffering in silence before his very eyes and he hadn't even known.

"Is there anyone else I can notify?" The healer asked.

"My wife, Ginny Potter," Harry told the man. "And Lily's godmother, Hermione Weasley. They're both at Hogwarts waiting for news."

"I'll send an owl along to them. I have to go and help out the other patients that are coming in. I'll try to come back and check on her later. I am truly sorry, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you," Harry managed to whisper.

* * *

"Jack, talk to me," Ron asked cautiously looking at his son after Harry disappeared behind the door.

Jack was pacing the hallway muttering, "Pregnant…she was pregnant…Oh God." _This is all my fault,_ he thought to himself. I should never have…

"Son, you need to calm down," Ron advised. "Lily's going to need you and you're not going to be any help to her if you loose your cool."

Jack thought back to a few hours earlier and realization rolled over him like a tidal wave. "She tried to tell me. Today…she was trying to tell me something but then Dennis came and I had to leave. Why didn't I just stay with her! If I had I would have gone with her to the hospital and none of this would have happened."

"You can't worry about what might have been. You have to focus on what is."

"I can't do this," Jack said to himself. He turned back and started walking down the hall. Ron stood in disbelief for a second before he went after him.

"Jack! Don't walk away! Come back! She wants to see you!"

"They need me downstairs," Jack said over his shoulder. They had not made it all the way to the stairs and Jack raced down the flights.

"Lily needs you here now!" Ron yelled.

Jack turned around on the stairs to look up at his father. "Dad, I…I just need some time to process all this. Tell Lily I'll be back in a bit when things settle down."

"What is so important that you have to rush off down there?" Ron asked pointedly.

"People are hurt!"

Ron's voice sank back down to normal volume as he asked simply, "And are those people more important than the woman you love?"

Jack looked at him for a long minute and for a fraction of a second Ron thought he'd gotten through to him. But just as the expression was there it was gone. Jack's face hardened and he turned away continuing down the stairs.

"This is a mistake, Jack!" Ron yelled though he did not follow. "You're going to beat yourself up for this later!" His words fell on deaf ears. Jack was already gone.

* * *

"Harry, what happened?" Ginny asked as she and Hermione rushed into Lily's hospital room.

Harry struggled with how to tell them this, "She…was fighting some Death Eaters and she…"

Ginny took hold of his hand, the one that wasn't still clasped to Lily's. "It's okay, love. Just tell us what happened."

Harry took a deep breath and let it go. "She had a miscarriage."

Ginny and Hermione both gasped. Hermione walked around the bed and took hold of Lily's other hand. "Did you know she was pregnant?"

"No, Jack didn't either," Harry added because he knew that would be her next question.

"But where is Jack? I expected him to be in here?" Hermione stated.

"I left him with Ron outside."

"Neither of them are out there now," Ginny said.

Just then Ron walked into the room. He wore a gloomy expression and shook his head. "He's not taking this too well."

"Where is he?" Hermione asked, not leaving Lily's side.

"He's downstairs helping them out," Ron told her.

"He should be here," Hermione declared. "Has she asked for him?" She asked Harry.

"The healer said so," Harry confirmed. "She's been asleep the whole time I've been here."

"Maybe I should go talk to him," Hermione suggested.

"Give him some time," Ginny advised.

"If she wakes up and he's not here…what is she going to think?" Hermione asked, sending Lily a worried look.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Harry said softly.

They all looked down at Lily who was now moving her head from side to side and mumbling as if she was in some kind of dream. They all looked at each other; apparently the time was now to deal with Jack's absence. Harry leaned closer to hear what she was saying.

"Jack," she said faintly.

"Lily, honey, you're going to be alright," Harry assured her, brushing the hair off her face.

Her eyes remained close, probably because she was took weak to open them, but it became apparent that she in some semi-conscious state.

"Jack," she repeated, this time somewhat louder.

"It's Dad, sweetheart," Harry said leaning closer.

"Daddy…"

"Yes, I'm right here."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she said miserably. A tear escaped the corner of her eye, breaking her father's heart in the process.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for," he told her. "Do you hear me, nothing."

"Are they okay?" Lily asked. She finally opened her eyes a bit but had to squint against the light.

"Who?" Harry asked in confusion.

"The people downstairs…I was trying to get them…out. In the room. There was some hospital staff. The Death Eaters had them trapped."

"I don't know, but I'll find out. You just go back to sleep."

"Where's Jack?" She asked looking around.

"He's…," Harry looked at Ron who was looking down at Lily regrettably. "He's just downstairs helping out."

"Does he know?" She asked, tears filling her eyes.

Harry nodded, "The healer told us outside."

"He hates me doesn't he," she stated. More tears rolled from her sad green eyes and onto the pillow beneath her head. Harry and Ron exchanged looks. Ron shook his head looking disgusted.

"He doesn't hate you," Hermione soothed quickly. "He could never hate you."

"He should," Lily whispered. "This is all my…"

Her eyes slid shut and they all waited for her to finish what she had been saying for a few seconds but it became clear that she'd slipped into unconsciousness again.

Ron's face hardened and he met Harry's eyes once more. "I'm going to go find him. He should be here."

"Don't be too hard on him," Harry cautioned.

This time it was Hermione and Ron who's eyes met. The look they exchanged was something Harry had never seen before. Such pain and suffering which he'd never known.

"I won't be," Ron said as he left the room quickly.

Hermione looked at Harry's confused face and figured she should explain. "I had a miscarriage before Ron and I got married."

Harry could have guessed that much by the look on their faces. "When?" He asked.

"It was towards the end of the war," Hermione remembered. "I was about as old as Lily is now."

"I never knew," Harry stated in shock. Surely he would have known something that important.

"I was so ashamed I made Ron promise me that he would tell anyone, even you. We were both pretty broken up about it."

"I'm sorry," Harry said honestly.

"It's okay." Hermione hurriedly wiped a tear from her cheek. "It was a long time ago."

For the first time since arriving, Ginny spoke up. "I'm sorry too, Harry. I should have known something was wrong when Lily came to check me over."

Harry let go of her hand and pulled her closer to his side by wrapping his arm around her waist. "This isn't your fault, love. I'm the one that should have seen it in her face when we had that argument in the hallway."

"What argument?" Hermione asked. "Why was Lily checking you over, Ginny? Are you ill?"

"You didn't tell her?" Harry asked in amazement.

"I thought you would want to tell her together," Ginny said, looking down at Lily sadly.

"Tell me what?" Hermione asked with a hit of excitement.

Harry took looked down at his daughter. "Not here," he said. He turned and led the way to the door. Once outside he pulled his wife into his arms and turned to his best friend, "Ginny's pregnant," he said with a smile.

Hermione squealed with delight and clapped her hands together. "Oh! I knew it! Ginny was telling me that she wasn't feeling well and I had a feeling! This is wonderful! I'm so happy for you two!" She ran to them and engulfed them in a hug Molly Weasley would have been proud of.

* * *

Ron scanned the emergency triage bay looking for his son. There were still people everywhere. Most of the people were aurors or other magical law enforcement. They were gathering evidence apparently. He caught a glimpse of Dennis and hurried over to him.

"Have you seen Jack?" He asked when Dennis looked up at him.

He nodded, "Yeah, he came back a few minutes ago. He looked kind of shaken up. Is everything okay?"

"No, everything is very far from okay," Ron said perhaps with more force than he originally intended. "Do you know where he is now?"

"I told him to go through the rooms in the back to help gather the bodies," Dennis informed him.

"I'm going to have to take him with me," Ron said grimly. "Whether he likes it or not."

"Is Lily okay?" Dennis asked putting the pieces together. "Did something happen to the baby?"

Ron blinked and stared at the man in astonishment. "You knew she was pregnant?"

"Yes," Dennis said uncertainly. "But only by default. I was dueling with her one day last week and she was pretty off. You know how a pregnant woman's magic can go wacky when she's in her first trimester. I told her to go see the healer when we were done because she had some scratches. She came to my office later that day and told me she wouldn't be able to be on active duty for a while."

"And what did you say to that?" Ron asked.

"You people really don't like me, do you," Dennis stated more than asked.

"No, we don't. Now did you take her off active duty or not?"

"Of course I did. She never came out and told me she was pregnant but that's just what I assumed. I've had her working on case files the last few days. Anyway she hasn't really been on active duty since the incident on the island. She's not one hundred percent yet."

"Look, I'm sorry if we're all a little edgy," Ron said, though his voice didn't really sound like he meant it. "I'm going to go find my son."

"Tell Lily she can take as much time off as she needs," Dennis said to Ron's retreating back as he walked away.

Ron spent fifteen minutes looking in every room he could find in the emergency department. Finally he came to the last room at the end of a hallway where he found Jack. He was standing in the middle of the dark room looking around. There were several dead bodies lying around. Some of them were Death Eaters and some were hospital staff.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ron asked harshly.

"This is where the healer said he found her," Jack said in a hollow voice. "He said she was lying over there," he pointed to a spot next to the wall.

Ron walked over and stood next to him. "I know this is hard for you. But you have to think about how Lily feels."

"She didn't even tell me. She knew and she never told me," Jack said bitterly.

"She may have only known for a few days."

"Well then she should have told me right away."

"Jack, I've seen how busy you've been. You've been gone more than she has. You're distant and sometimes cold, even to her. What do you think you would have done?"

Jack turned to face him aggressively. "Are you saying this is my fault?"

"No, I'm only saying that it may not have been easy for her to tell you," Ron said calmly.

"I do a lot of things in my life that aren't easy. Does she think it's easy for me to see her go through all that she goes through day in and day out? No man should see the woman he loves in so much pain!"

"You're right," Ron agreed. "I know this is difficult. And I know that sometimes it's hard to love someone who's constantly in harms way. Do you think it was easy for me to love your mother during the war? Well, it wasn't. It was hard on all of us."

"Then you should know how I feel."

"Merlin knows I've seen Lily hurt more times than I ever care to admit the past few years," Ron said looking Jack in the eye. "But today I saw something I've never seen before, something I never thought I'd see."

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" Jack asked when Ron didn't elaborate immediately.

Ron kept his son's gaze and hardened his face. "I saw you turn your back on her when she needed you the most. I saw _you_ put tears in her eyes. Even if it was for a moment in comparison to everything else, you were the one hurting her today. And the only way you hurt her was by not being there."

"She woke up?" Jack asked, already looking ashamed of himself.

"For a few minutes," Ron confirmed. "You're name was the first word she spoke. She thinks you hate her."

"I don't hate her," Jack said in the most convincing voice he could muster.

"Jack, I know what it feels like to loose a child," Ron admitted solemnly. He ignored the staggered look Jack gave him and went on. "You're mother had a miscarriage during the war. I was about the same age you are now. It was hard but we got through it by sticking together. I can promise you that if you don't come with me now to see the girl you claim to love more than life itself then you're going to loose her."

Jack closed his eyes against the tears that threatened to spill over onto his cheeks. He nodded his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. "What am I supposed to say?"

Ron wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders and led him to the door. "Just tell her how much you love her. Trust me, that's all she really needs to hear."

Father and Son walked in silence through the many hallways and up the many flights of stairs. Ron never took his arm off Jack's shoulders. He knew the days and weeks ahead would be some of the hardest Jack and Lily would face in their relationship. He remembered how hard it was for him to convince Hermione that the miscarriage wasn't her fault. He also remembered feeling guilty when the thought crossed his mind that perhaps it was better that they waited to bring children into the world until things settled down. Everything was so uncertain at that time. The war was raging and no one really knew what side would win out. He remembered being almost thankful for the miscarriage for a while after the initial shock wore off. It was one less thing he'd have to worry about. In all the years since then, he'd never forgiven himself for being relieved about the miscarriage. He would have loved that child just as he loved Jack and the other boys. He loved being a father.

By now they had rounded the corner and were walking down the hallway that led to Lily's room. Jack's pace slowed down when he saw Harry, Ginny, and Hermione standing outside of her room.

"Is Harry angry with me?" Jack asked.

"No," Ron assured him. "No one is angry with you."

Ginny was the first to turn around and spot Jack and Ron coming down the hallway. She pointed towards them and soon Harry and Hermione turned towards them as well. Hermione's eyes glazed when she saw the look of utter devastation on Jack's face. She walked to meet him and Ron halfway.

"Oh, Jack," she said engulfing him in a hug. Even thought Jack was now a foot taller than his mother he never tired of her warm hugs. He found comfort in them now just as much as he did when he was little. "Everything is going to be alright," she said soothingly.

"How?" Jack asked quietly. "How am I supposed to fix this?"

"It's not about fixing it, son," Ron answered from his side. "It's just about working through the loss together."

Jack nodded and the three of them walked to meet Harry and Ginny together. They all stood in a circle in complete silence for a second or two before Jack addressed Harry once he found his voice.

"Harry…I'm sorry--"

Jack was cut off by Harry raising his hand and shaking his head. "I'm not the one you need to apologize to."

Jack followed Harry's eyes to the closed hospital door. "Was she asleep when you left her?"

"Yes," Harry nodded. "But she may not be now. We've been out here a few minutes and the healer said her sedation will be wearing off."

Jack took a deep breath and opened the heavy wooden door. He only held it open far enough to get himself inside before he closed it softly behind him. All the lights in the room had been turned off. The room was now bathed in the subtle glow of the moon shining through the window. He didn't know exactly what time it was, but judging by the position of the moon in the sky it must be very early in the morning.

A noise from the bed drew his attention and he looked to find that Lily was indeed awake. She was curled into a ball on her side facing away from the door. Even over all the noise coming from the hallway he could still hear the faint sounds of her broken sobs. He walked to her quickly, going around the bed so she would see he was there. She had her hands over her face and her hair had fallen over her eyes. She reminded him of a small frightened child curled up in her bed. The sight of her like this broke his heart in two. How could he have possibly left her to deal with this all on her own?

"Lily," he said loud enough for her to hear. He moved the hair out of her swollen eyes and gazed down at her. "I'm here," he assured her lovingly. She finally opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up."

She looked at him blankly for a second, and in that moment he thought she was going to yell at him. But soon more tears clouded her vision and she buried her face in her hands.

"I should be the one apologizing to you," she cried hoarsely. "This is all my fault."

"No, hey, that's not true. This is no one's fault other than the person on the other end of wand that cursed you." She didn't seem to be moved by his comfort as she continued to cry into her hands. "Lily bean, please don't cry. You know I can't stand it when you cry."

She looked up at him once more and her lips almost curled into a smile. "It's been a while since you called me that."

"Too long," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "Move over."

Lily slid over on the bed making enough room for him to get in next to her and lay on his back. Once he was situated he reached out to her and gently pulled her head down to his chest.

"Lily, listen to me," he began as he gently ran his hand up and down her back. "This is not your fault. We're going to get through this. We're going to be okay."

"You mean you don't hate me?" She asked innocently.

"No," he said sounding like the mere idea was absurd. "Nothing you could ever do would ever make me hate you."

"When you weren't here when I woke up…I thought that you…"

"I'm sorry about that, love. I should have been here. I was just shocked and hurt that you didn't tell me before hand."

"I only found out two weeks ago," she informed him. I knew something was wrong because I was so tired and then I missed my period. I tried to tell you so many times but I just…I just couldn't. I should have been more careful and none of this would have happened. I know you don't want children now and I--"

"What makes you think I don't want children now?" He asked cutting her off.

She turned her head to look at him uncertainly, "Well, I just figured…you're young and we aren't married yet and I just thought that you'd want to wait a little while."

"I know we're young. But I also know how much I love you. And having children with you has always been one of my dreams. I really don't care when we start."

"Really?" She asked timidly.

"Yes. I don't want you to ever be afraid to tell me something like that in the future. I know I haven't been the most personable person lately. And I know I'm hard to live with sometimes. I don't want you to ever forget that no matter what happens I will always love you. You will always be the most important thing in my life."

Lily sniffled and leaned up to kiss him briefly on the mouth. "I love you too," she said when she lied her head back down in the center of his chest. She could hear his heart beating beneath her and for a while she just listened to the gentle murmur.

Jack continued rubbing her back with one hand. He took hold of Lily's hand on his chest and used his free hand to intertwine their fingers. He looked down at where their hands rested on his chest and saw her diamond engagement ring sparkle up at him in the moonlight. His parents were right; they'd be fine as long as they remembered that they weren't alone. They had each other. For a few minutes he thought she'd drifted back off to sleep. That is until she spoke up in a voice that indicated she was indeed awake but very tired.

"Jack…"

"Yes, love."

"Will you do something for me?"

"Whatever you want," he replied kissing her forehead and waiting to tell her what it was she wanted him to do.

"Get me out of here," she said flatly.

"Has the healer released you?" He asked warily. He didn't want to take her against medical advice.

"Not really, but there are people hurt worse than me and they're going to need the bed. I just want to go home and get out of this place."

"Where's home?" He joked lightly. "My parents house, your dad's house, Hogwarts…?"

"Home is wherever you are," she said groggily. He could tell by the sound of her voice that she was on the edge of sleep.

"Okay, baby, I'll take you to Hogwarts," he told her sliding out from under her and onto the floor. He helped her sit up in bed and pull back the covers. He could tell her muscles were sore from the curse because she was very weak and he had to help her swing her legs over the edge of the bed. Instead of having her stand up, he hooked one arm under her knees and he placed his other hand on the small of her back so he could hold her up in his arms gracefully.

"You don't have to carry me," she protested lightly, even though her head fell back against his chest and her arm wrapped around his neck.

"No I don't. But, please just let me take care of you."

"Alright," she conceded closing her eyes and giving herself up to his care.

Jack walked to the door and with a small wave of his wrist the door swung open. He saw his parents, Harry and Ginny all standing out in the hallway just as he left them. They all walked forward with questions on their lips when they saw Jack and Lily emerge.

"She wants me to take her home," Jack said simply. No one seemed to have any objections. He looked down at Lily in his arms and saw her eyes were closed and she looked rather peaceful. Other than the obvious, she appeared to have come through the incident with little or no damage. She was just tired.

Jack walked a head of everyone to the nearest apparition point at the end of the hallway. Once he got there, he apparated downstairs to the fireplace connected to the floo network. He heard several loud POPs and looked behind him and turned to see everyone had followed. He and Lily went through the fire first. They arrived in their bedroom at Hogwarts both dusted in soot. They're fireplace in their dorm was connected to the floo because of their work with the auror department. It was sometimes easier to reach them that way.

Jack walked over to the bed and laid her down gently. He heard the arrival of the rest of their audience and turned to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione dusting themselves off. The fire roared to life again and a clearly disoriented Ginny stumbled out. Harry's arms shot out to catch her before she feel to the rug.

"All right there, Gin?" Ron asked holding in his laughter.

"Laugh it up, Weasley," Ginny growled under her breath as hair wiped the ash from her hair.

Ron continued to smile, "Oh Gin, it's only normal. Hermione was worse when she was--" he stopped short and looked to where Jack as sitting on the bed next to Lily.

"Are you pregnant, Aunt Gin?" Jack asked. He wasn't completely dumb when it came to pregnant woman. He remembered his Mum being pregnant with his brothers and he also had a number of aunts. This was why he was so shocked that he could have missed Lily's pregnancy. She must have really hide it well, that or he just wasn't paying very much attention.

Ginny looked at Harry and then nodded. "Yes, Lily just told me today."

"Oh," Jack said looking down at Lily, "Congratulations you two. I'm really happy for you."

Ginny opened his mouth to say something, "Jack--"

But Jack stood up and interrupted whatever she had intended on saying.

"Harry, would you sit with her while I go take a shower?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah sure."

"Thanks, I'll be out in a few," Jack said as he hurried into his bathroom and shut the door behind him.

"This is going to take some time," Hermione assured them when she saw the worried looks on Harry and Ginny's faces. "It will be especially hard for them to see you two have a baby."

"Is there anything we can do to help them?" Ginny asked, taking her husbands hand.

"We just need to keep them busy. The more time they have to sit and think about what happened the longer it will take for them to get over it. We just have to make sure to include them in things. Invite them for dinner, spend weekends with them, that kind of thing," Hermione explained.

"It seems like we should be doing more," Harry said absentmindedly.

This time is was Ron who spoke, "We can't take the pain of this away from them no mater how much we want to. Most of the healing is really up to them."

"Just be there," Hermione reiterated. They all nodded and made a silent promise to help in whatever way they could.


	20. Chapter Twenty: Dealing

A/N- Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! Don't kill me when you're doing reading it!

Chapter Twenty: Dealing

In the coming weeks, it became clear that healing from this particular wound would be just as hard as any other. Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny all kept their word. They made sure to check on Jack and Lily whenever they could and involved them in everyday family gatherings as much as possible.

The ministry had not been able to keep the attack out of the papers, but they had managed to control the information that reached the press. The world knew of the attack, they just didn't know how well it had been orchestrated. All the papers made the incident out to see like a wild job of some unorganized trouble makers.

Jack went back to work the day after the incident at St. Mungo's, spending his days interrogating the Death Eaters that had been caught. He was gone all day long and didn't usually return until late into the night after Lily had gone to bed.

Lily did not go back to work for over a week. It took her that long to build her strength back up again. She spent most of her time off either sleeping in her dorm room or catching up on her healer studies. She was planning on taking the tests she would need to pass to start a residency at the end of the school year.

Even after she returned to the ministry, she did not go back to St. Mungos for two weeks. She seemed to have developed a fear of the place and was trying to work through it. Instead she worked with the Hogwarts nurse at nighttime and on weekends.

When she went back to the ministry, she didn't work with Jack on interrogations, instead working on compiling evidence and doing small case work. The only time she saw Jack was in the morning occasionally when he didn't leave for work before she got up.

It was obvious to everyone that they seemed to have grown apart in some ways. Hermione and Ron had done all they could think of to try to get Jack to spend more time at Hogwarts with Lily, but no matter what they said he always said the same thing. He told them Lily knows he loves her and that she understands that what he's doing is important.

One Sunday afternoon Jack had promised Lily that he'd take her to have dinner with her father and Ginny at the orphanage. Ron and Hermione were bringing all the boys along as well.

She got up early, leaving Jack in bed to sleep in because he'd worked late the night before. She went to the hospital wing and helped Madame Jefter bottle potions for a few hours and when she came back to the dorm around noon she found Jack in the shower. She happily went and changed out of her healer robes and into a sweater and knee length jean skirt.

She had been looking forward to this since Jack had first told her his plans a week ago. They had hardly spent any time together and truthfully, it was starting to get to her. She was just pinning her long curls half up off her neck when Jack came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Hey there," she said cheerfully. She walked over to him with a smile and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Hey," he said, looking down at her somewhat strangely. "What's going on?"

"Oh nothing," she said shrugging. She stood up on her tip toes to kiss him, but he turned his face away from her lips and looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong?" she said, sensing something coming from him.

"I thought you were working in the hospital wing today. Why are you wearing that?"

Lily's smile immediately fell, "Don't tell me you forgot."

"Forgot what?" he asked. He reached his back and unhooked her arms from his waist. She watched him walk into the walk-in closet and emerge holding the towel and wearing a pair of boxers.

"Dinner," she reminded him. "We're supposed to have dinner with your family and my parents at the orphanage today."

Jack looked at her for a moment and slapped his forehead when he remembered, "Oh shit!"

"That's okay," she dismissed, "You can be ready to go once you put some clothes on. They wanted us there early so we could all spend some time together."

"No, I can't come, love," he said, now walking to the dresser and pulling out a t-shirt and some trousers.

She couldn't help feeling disappointed and she didn't try to hide that fact from him either. "What? Why not?"

"I have to go in to work," he said with his back to her. "I'm leaving tonight and we have a debriefing before we—"

"Wait," she said holding up her hand. "You're leaving! Going where? When were you going to tell me?"

"Lil, I'm sorry. It must have just slipped my mind."

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know…maybe a week or so. I could have sworn I'd told you."

She watched him get dressed and tried to get a hold of her temper. She knew if she didn't, that this would quickly escalate into something neither of them really needed.

* * *

Harry walked down the hall towards Jack and Lily's dorm room by himself. He'd told Ginny that he would go and ask Lily if she would come down to help her make dinner. Hermione hadn't been feeling well and she was going to take a nap before coming down later. He knocked on their door several times but got no answer. He could hear people talking from the inside of the dorm so perhaps they couldn't hear him knock. He opened the door and walked into the sitting room. Immediately he heard what sounded like an argument. He knew he should have turned around and left them to it but for some reason his feet just wouldn't move.

"You never told me about a mission," he heard Lily say loudly.

"Well, I'm sorry. I thought I had," came Jack's reply. It was obvious by the sound of his voice that he was annoyed.

"Jack, can't you just come down there for a little while? You're parents don't know you're leaving and you haven't seen your brothers in ages. Everyone misses you being around."

"They'll understand."

"No, they won't! Is that what I'm supposed to do, understand? Well, I don't Jack! I don't understand exactly what is so goddamn important!"

"I'm sorry, Lily, but I told you I can't come. I have a meeting."

"You seem to have a lot of these meetings," Lily huffed. "What is so secret you can't even tell me about? My security clearance is just as high as yours is!"

"If I told you that then I would be giving away the secret, now wouldn't I?"

"So what, you expect me to just go tell your parents that you're leaving for a week? You know they worry about you."

"They're not really able to talk about these things. Look at what they put my grandparents through during the war."

"That doesn't mean anything. It still would be considerate to tell them yourself. It would have been nice for you to tell me!"

"Look, I said I was sorry. What more do you want from me? I have to go," Harry could hear the sounds of Jack putting on a cloak. He heard footsteps from behind the closed bedroom door. He started to head back to the front door thinking they might catch him when it became clear Jack was going to use the floo.

"Jack, please don't go. We need to talk. We never talk anymore."

"I've got things I've got to do. I'm sorry. We'll talk when I get back, okay?" There was a few seconds pause before Jack spoke again this time in a much softer apologetic voice, "Come on Lily, don't give me that look. Everything's fine. It's not a dangerous mission or anything. I'll be back in a week and if you want me to take you to have dinner with your parents at the orphanage then I promise you I will."

"It isn't that I'm incapable of going by myself, Jack. That isn't the point. This was something you and I were going to do together. You promised me you would."

"Please don't make this a big deal," Jack pleaded.

"It it's not a big deal then why can't you tell me about you mission and why it's so bloody important that you leave right this very minute?" Lily cried in frustration.

"You are not one to talk about keeping secrets!" Jack fired back in return.

"Don't throw that back in my face! You know I did that for a reason!"

It was clear the anger in the room was building up when Jack replied, "Okay forget about the dreams, what about your pregnancy? What purpose was there in keeping that from me?"

"Jack, we talked about that!"

"I know we have! But I still don't understand…two weeks, Lily! You knew for two weeks and you couldn't find the time to mention it to me! If I had known I would never have let you go to St. Mungos that night!"

"So you do think it's my fault!"

"No, I never said that!"

"You might as well have! I was scared to death to tell you! You have no idea what I went through! And look, you reacted just like I thought you would!"

"I don't have time for this." More shuffling followed. "I'll see you when I get back."

"Jack, please, don't leave until we've talked about this! Don't leave angry with me!"

"I'm not angry."

The sounds that followed Jack's final sentence clearly indicated that Jack had flooed away. Harry listened closely at the door but heard nothing else. As quietly as he could, he walked back to the front door and closed it. He waited in the hallway for a few minutes before he knocked loudly on the wood. Several seconds later, the door opened to reveal a clearly shaken Lily Potter. She was wearing an elegant sweater and skirt but the smile she plastered on her face when she saw him standing at the door was clearly the fakest thing she'd ever worn.

"Hi, Daddy," she said, stepping forward and giving him a hug.

He held her close to him and he noticed she stayed in his arms a little longer than she would have ordinarily. "Hey sweetie," he finally replied when they pulled apart. "Ginny asked me to come get you and see if you'd like to help her with dinner. Your Aunt Hermione isn't feeling well."

"What's wrong with her?" Lily asked, ignoring his first question about dinner.

"I really don't know…she's just feeling under the weather," Harry shrugged.

"Sure I'll help with dinner, but I want to stop by and check on Aunt Hermione on our way."

"If you insist," Harry said, sweeping his arm to the side in a stately way. She smiled and nodded her head before taking his arm and allowing him to lead her down the hallway. "Where is Jack?" Harry asked after a few moments silence.

"He's at work," she said quietly. "He…um…has to go on a mission for a few days. He asked me to tell his parents."

"You'd think he'd want to tell them himself," Harry commented.

"Well…he's been under a lot of stress lately," she reasoned. She clearly felt the need to defend him even after their argument.

"And you haven't?" he mumbled under his breath.

Lily looked up at him and sighed. "Oh, Dad, I don't know what's up with Jack."

"Honey, I have a confession to make," Harry began. "I heard your argument."

Lily stopped walking and turned to look at him. "You what?"

"I came to talk to you like Ginny asked. When no one came to the door I went into the living room because the door was unlocked. I heard everything. I'm sorry for eavesdropping but I'm worried about you two."

She looked up at him for a few more seconds before she started walking again. "It's okay. I should be angry but I don't think I have the energy. How much did you hear?"

"Quite a bit," he admitted.

"We used to never fight like that. Usually I'm the hot-tempered one."

"Talk to me. What's going on?"

"They've got Jack working on this special case or something. He works all the time. He's constantly in a bad mood. I was really looking forward to spending time with him today. Apparently he wasn't, though," she looked down. "He forgot completely."

By now they were out of the secret passageway. "You guys are just going through a rough spot," Harry assured her.

"You think so?"

"He loves you, Lily. I know he does. Even these past few weeks when he's been gone a lot, every time he looks at you I can see how much he loves you. You've just got to let him deal with all this. He lost a child too, just as much as you did."

Lily stopped walking and turned to face him, "Dad, I know exactly what he's feeling. We're still taking the bonding potions and I can tell what his emotions are. I know he's angry and frustrated. I can feel his hatred."

"I'm sure none of that is directed towards you," Harry assured. "He just needs time. He's angry at the world right now."

"I hope that's all it is," Lily said shaking her head. They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence; Lily trying to convince herself that her father was right and Harry trying to convince himself that he'd given his daughter the best advice possible.

Once they reached Ron and Hermione's door they both seemed to have pulled themselves together. Lily knocked on the door. Ron answered with a broad smile on his face.

"Hey there, kiddo," he said, engulfing Lily in a hug that lifted her feet up off the floor. Harry shook his head; Ron always seemed to know how to cheer Lily up when she was down. "We weren't expecting to see you two until later," Ron said when he set his goddaughter back down on the ground.

"I want to check on Aunt Hermione," Lily said as they walked inside.

"That's sweet of you. She's in the bedroom lying down," Ron told her. "But where's Jack?"

Lily sighed and looked at Harry, who nodded his head and pointed down the hallway to the bedroom. Lily seemed to get the message because she retreated down the hallway and into the bedroom.

"What's going on?" Ron asked once she was gone.

"Jack's gone on a mission," Harry informed him.

"A mission…for how long?"

"About a week. I walked over to their dorm to ask Lily to come help Ginny make dinner and I kind of overheard Jack and Lily having an argument."

Ron raised an eyebrow, "Overheard or intentionally listened in on?"

"Okay, so I could have left without them knowing but I stayed," Harry confessed. "I told her about it and she's not angry."

"How bad was the argument?"

"Pretty bad."

"I can't believe he just left without telling us," Ron mused.

"I guess he didn't mention it to Lily either. I don't know, Ron. You might want to have a word with him when he gets home. He's apparently spending a lot of time at work. Frankly, I think he's staying away so he doesn't have to deal with all that's happened."

"You could be right. We certainly haven't seen much of him lately." Ron took a seat on the sofa and leaned his elbows on his knees. "Man, "Mione's going to be upset when she finds out Jack left on a mission without saying goodbye. You know how she gets with those things."

"Good luck to ya, mate," Harry said, slapping Ron on the back.

"He's going to need it," a voice said unexpectedly. The two men looked up to see Lily standing in the sitting room with a smirk on her face. "I swear there is something in the water," she said, shaking her head and crossing her arms across her chest.

"What?" Ron asked standing up. "Is something wrong?"

Lily laughed and shook her head. "Nothing that won't eventually go away. And nothing that you haven't already been through before."

"Will you please stop speaking in code," Ron pleaded melodramatically.

"She's pregnant," Lily said after a moment's pause.

Ron's face paled as he tried to process what she said, "What…no…she can't be…what?"

"Oh yes, she's pregnant alright. About two months pregnant. Honestly after all the kids you two have had you'd think you would know when you were expecting again. How you guys missed this is beyo--"

Ron interrupted Lily's rant by running up to her and giving her a great bear hug. He held her for a split second before he let her go and sprinted into the bedroom to see his wife. Lily stood there, trying to catch her breath.

"Pregnant," Harry repeated. "I can't believe that!"

"Neither can I," Lily said smiling. "You should have seen her face when I told her."

"I can only imagine. What do you say we give them some privacy?" Harry suggested.

"Good idea," Lily agreed.

"I can't believe you, Ginny, and Hermione all got pregnant so close together," Harry said without thinking. Lily said nothing she just smiled sadly at him and nodded.

They walked down the hall a little ways before Lily spoke up again. She looked down at the floor she was walking over and sounded far away. "That's how I hoped Jack would react when I told him I was pregnant."

Harry's smile evaporated. He quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to walk beside him. "I know you did."

"I knew he would be shocked at first but deep down I wanted him to be happy about it."

"I think he would have been. If he'd been given the time."

"I guess we'll never know," Lily said softly.

"You guys will have kids of your own one day soon. If a family is what you want than you should talk to him about it. I don't think Jack would be opposed to the idea."

"I'll think about it," Lily replied, putting on her best smile and lifting her head.

* * *

Jack ended up being away for just over a week. He got back in the early hours of the morning on Monday long after Lily had already gone to sleep. She woke up to find a note on his side of the bed telling her that he had gotten home safely and that he had to go into work for a post-mission debriefing. She had to admit she was more than a little disappointed that he hadn't woken her up or at least waited.

She went into work hoping to at least see him there, but alas, luck was not on her side. She was told he was again working out of the office and wasn't scheduled to return until the late evening. Going about her day, she found herself looking at the clock every couple of minutes, willing time to pass faster. When five o'clock came around, she packed up her things and she went home for the day.

Again she waited.

And waited. And waited.

At eleven thirty she was more than a little angry. All she wanted to do was welcome him home, and all he seemed to want to do was stay away. She was just about to give up and go to bed when the door opened.

"Jack!" she said, all thoughts of anger leaving her mind. She ran to him and threw her arms around him dramatically as if she hadn't seen him in years. "I missed you!"

Jack was caught off guard at her display of affection. He wrapped his arms around her waist but didn't hold her tightly to him like he once had. "I missed you too," Jack mumbled half-heartedly.

"What's wrong?" she asked, noting his tone.

He released his hold on her and took a step back. "Nothing, just tired."

She took his hand and led him into the bedroom. He seemed reluctant to follow but finally came behind her dragging his feet. "How was the mission?"

"Fine…okay…you know. Not much happened," he stated vaguely.

He let go of her hand and began to get ready for bed. He went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. Lily followed, talking constantly about everything that he'd missed while he was away. When he was done he put his toothbrush away and walked to the doorway. She stood in his way and when he approached she wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed up at him.

"Care for me to show you how much I missed you?" she slyly offered.

There was a glimmer of hope that he would concede for a moment, but soon it was gone. He's eyes hardened and he shook his head.

"Actually, Lil, I'm really tired. I'd rather just go to bed," he said with difficulty.

"Oh," she said, letting go of him.

She watched him walk away, desperately wanting to know what he was feeling.

She got her wish. A wave of powerful emotions washed through her all at once. Rage, irritation, misery, disappointment; he was feeling them all. She clutched the material of her shirt that rested above her heart and leaned heavily against the doorframe. She knew he was feeling other things, but she hadn't mastered this skill from the potion yet, because all his feelings were starting to impact her own. The only thing that she could tell was that his negative feelings centered on her.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up and saw Jack standing on his side of the bed looking, at her curiously. In an instant she had a smile plastered on her face. "Yeah, I'm just cold."

Walking to the bed she helped him pull back the covers. He looked at her again, this time confliction flickered across his face, and he tried several times to speak before he finally managed to get the words out.

"Lily…um, look I've been sleeping on the ground for over a week. I'm really tired. I think I could use a good undisturbed night's sleep. I've got to get up early in the morning."

She looked down when the realization of what he said hit her in the pit of her stomach like a bag of ice. When she raised her eyes to his she saw he wasn't even looking at her. He was playing with the fringe on the pillow case.

"Sure," she whispered, her voice wavering with hurt. She turned and walked back to the dresser. Locating a shirt and sweatpants to sleep in, she shut the drawer and kept her back to him when she heard him walk closer.

Seeing the look of intense hurt flash across her face, Jack wished he hadn't said anything. He quickly tried to rationalize, "It's just for one night. I really need--"

"It's okay," she said turning to him. She knew there had to be tears in her eyes, but she blinked them back and flashed him the biggest smile she could manage though she knew the corners of her mouth quivered in spite of her best efforts. "I get it."

She stepped forward, half-intent on kissing him on cheek but thought better of it. "Goodnight," he told her.

All she could do was nod and leave the room as fast as she could without sprinting.

Jack stood in place for several minutes after she left. He closed his eyes and tried to get the image of her heartbroken face out of his mind. Sighing, he finished getting ready for bed.

* * *

On Wednesday evening, Andrew Weasley walked down the hall to his brother's dorm room while holding Joes's hand. Joe had begged and pleaded to go see Jack and Lily, and finally his mum asked Andrew to come take him. Neither Jack nor Lily had been present at supper and he was kind of worried about them. When he reached their door he knocked loudly. The door opened quickly to reveal Lily's tired face. Her eyes were lined in red and her hair fell in strings over her shoulders.

"Lily, what's wrong?" Andy asked immediately.

She smiled warmly. "Nothing, I just…thought you might be Jack." She reached down and took Joes hand and led them into the sitting room.

"Since when does Jack knock?" Andy asked as he followed.

She shrugged and looked down at Joe. "What are you doing here, buddy?"

"I missed you, Lily," Joe said, looking up at her.

"Oh, I missed you too," she said, sitting down on the sofa and pulling him onto her lap.

"So, where is my git of a brother anyway?" Andy asked, looking around.

"Well…he's um," she sighed. "To be quite honest I don't know where he is. We don't really work together during the day anymore so…"

"Is everything alright?" Andrew asked suspiciously.

"Everything's fine," a new voice said from the doorway. They all turned to see Jack standing there glaring daggers at his fiancée. "What are you two doing here?"

"We just stopped by to say hello. You know, something you used to do. I would have thought you'd have come by to congratulate Mum and Dad by now," Andy snapped, standing up to challenge his older brother.

Jack shook his head. "Why do they need congratulating?"

"Your mom is pregnant," Lily said quickly, hating herself that she had forgotten to tell him sooner.

"Pregnant…" Jack said darkly. He's glare hardened. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry," she stuttered. "I only found out the day you left and I wanted to tell you when you got back but--"

"She's my mother, Lily," Jack said coldly. "You should have told me!" His voice had risen now to match the angry look on his face.

"I said I was sorry," she restated. Her eyes glistened with tears and suddenly she felt about an inch tall.

Jack took a step towards her aggressively and clenched his fists, "You were so concerned that I wouldn't sleep with you the night I came back you forgot to tell me my mother was pregnant!"

For the first time in all their years of friendship she was afraid of him. His anger seemed to have taken over and the look on his face was frightening. Subconsciously, she pulled Joe closer to her from where he still sat on her lap in silence.

"Jack, that's enough!" Andy yelled, stepping in front of his brother. "Don't yell at her! You've been home for days and you still haven't seen gone to see Mum and Dad. They're worried sick about you! Lily shouldn't have to give you updates on your own parents!"

"Andy, I think you both should leave," Jack instructed in a low iron hard voice.

Andy shook his head defiantly. "Like I'm leaving you alone with Lily when you've got a temper! What's wrong with you, Jack? I've never seen you like this!"

"This has nothing to do with you, Andy. I'm asking you to leave."

Lily stood up and put Joe on the ground. "Its okay, Andy. Why don't you take your brother back to your parents?"

Andy looked reluctant but finally conceded. He took Joe's hand and walked out the door, saying nothing to anyone. Once they were gone Jack kicked the door shut, the loud slamming noise literally made Lily jump out of her skin. She looked down at the ground like a guilty child and waited. He didn't make her wait long.

"You're talking to my brother about our relationship now?"

She shook her head, "No, he just asked where you were."

He took a few steps towards her and she took a few steps back, trying to keep the distance between them. "And what did you say?" Jack asked, not even noticing their migration.

"I…I told him I didn't know," her voice was shaking with fear now, and she felt her back flatten against the wall. There was no where left to go.

"Did you invite them here?"

"No." Tears escaped from her eyes and she continued to shake her head in denial. _What was going on with him?_

He continued advancing until he was standing right in front of her, trapping her against the wall by placing his palms on the wall on either side of her head. Her eyes were wide and her whole body seemed to tremble, but he didn't care.

"Have you told anyone you were pregnant?" he asked pointedly.

"No, only your parents and mine but they were there," she assured in a quivering voice.

"I don't want anyone else to know, do you hear me?" He lowered his hands and gripped her arms. "It's something between us. I don't want our friends or my brothers or the rest of my family to know."

Her eyes closed and he watched more tears fall down her cheeks. "I won't tell a soul," she said, weeping as quietly as she could.

"And the next time one of my brothers comes looking for me and I'm not here tell them to come back later."

"Okay, Jack, whatever you want. Just please let go of me," she begged not looking at him. "You're hurting me."

He hadn't realized that he'd been holding her arms so tight. His eyes blinked as he let go of her like her skin was on fire. He suddenly felt like coming out of a trance. He looked behind him, wondering how he'd walked across the room without wanting to.

Looking up at Lily's face he saw her eyes were down on the ground and her body shook with sobs. His mouth went dry as if he'd swallowed a dozen cotton balls and he backed away from her, holding out his hands and looking at them as if he'd never seen them before. When he got far enough away she pushed off from the wall and walked past him. She went to the closet by the door and got out her broom.

"I'm going to go for a lap around the pitch," she said in a whisper. He almost didn't hear her over the sound of his own rapidly beating heart.

He took a step towards her again, "Lily I--"

She turned her head towards him and the look on her face made it impossible for him to go on. It was a look of complete and utter fear. He'd only seen her like that around one other person; Malfoy. He'd never done anything to make her afraid of him before. What was he doing now?

When he didn't continue she swept from the room, not even stopping to realize that she hadn't grabbed her cloak.

* * *

Lily ran down the hall way as fast as her legs would carry her. The sound of her shoes clicking on the floor bounced off the walls along with deep loud sobs she could no longer hold back. She rounded a corner and felt herself collide with another person's chest. She fell backwards due to the speed she had been traveling and found herself on the floor looking up at the person she'd run into.

"Lily!" Ron exclaimed. He dropped down and helped her up off the floor. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" He asked reaching down and picking up her broomstick. He leaned it against the wall and looked at her expectantly.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she said hurriedly, wiping away her tears. "I'm just going down to the pitch. What are you doing here?"

"I was just coming to talk to Jack. Andy and Joe just came back and they were both really upset about something Jack had said." He looked at her again, 'Where is your cloak if you're going outside?"

She looked down at herself and saw she was still wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Her arms were covered in goose bumps and she tried to tell herself it was from the chill in the corridor. "I must have forgotten it."

He saw something on her arm and stepped forward to get a better look, "Lily, what's this on your arm? It looks like a bruise." He looked at her other arm and saw the same thing; yellow and blue lines forming on her upper arm.

"It's nothing, Uncle Ron. Please just forget about it," she pleaded. The tears continued to come much to Ron's horror. He thought for a second before he realized the truth.

"Jack did this to you," he said, sounding out of breath.

She shook her head, "No, he didn't mean to. It wasn't like that…I made him angry."

Ron swept her up in his arms and held her tightly. "It doesn't matter if you made him angry, honey! He has no right to lay a hand on you! Where is he?"

She wiggled her way out of his grasp and looked up at him with wide frightened eyes. "No, please don't say anything to him. Please, Uncle Ron!"

"Lily, has he been acting like this for a while?"

"I don't know. Just don't tell him I told you. Promise me!" She sounded so desperately scared that it broke Ron's heart.

"Shhhh, it's okay. I won't say anything. I want you to go find your dad and stay with him for a while," he instructed through a clinched jaw.

"Where are you going?" she asked timidly.

"I'm just going to talk to him. Something is wrong, Lily. He's not being himself and I'm going to find out why." She shook her head but he spoke again before she even opened her mouth. "Its okay, just go find your dad."

"Okay," she finally agreed. He watched her walk down the hall slowly with her broom dragging on the ground at her side. He watched her walk down the long hallway until she turned the corner.

He looked behind him in the direction of Jack's dorm and sighed. Something wasn't right. Jack would _never_ raise a hand to Lily. There was some kind of problem going on here. The only question now was what it was.

A/N-Please review!


	21. Chapter TwentyOne: Hell and High Water

A/N- Okay, here is the next chapter. Please see the authors note for a comment on the rest of this story.

Chapter Twenty-One: Hell and High Water

Ron opened the door to Jack and Lily's dorm room without even bothering to knock. He found the sitting room empty, so he walked cautiously into the bedroom. The room was lit up by the fire in the fire place. He looked around and for a second he didn't see Jack at all. He walked around the bed, and that's where he found him.

Jack was sitting on the ground with his back up against the side of the bed. He was staring off into nothing with a blank look on his face.

"Jack," Ron said firmly.

"Is she alright?" Jack asked. He didn't look up at his father, but he seemed to know why he was there.

"What happened?" Ron asked, ignoring his question.

Jack held his hands out in front of him. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I just can't feel anything but hate and rage. I can't control my emotions anymore." He shook his head and covered his face with his hands.

"It's going to be alright," Ron promised. He took a step toward his son, but Jack's head snapped up and he held his hand up to stop Ron from getting any closer.

"Don't…just stay away! I don't know what I'm capable of. Don't come near me!" He stood up and moved across the room.

"Jack, son, just calm down," Ron said, making sure his hands were visible.

"No! I will not calm down. Don't you understand what I've done? I put my hands on her and I hurt her! I don't understand how I could have…why I…I just don't understand!"

"Something isn't right," Ron thought out loud. "Has anything out of the ordinary happened lately? Have you taken a potion or been hit with a weird spell?"

"No, Dad, this was not a spell. This was me! I felt it!"

Ron decided it was no use talking to him about this now. "Alright, you just need to calm down because it seems that it's your temper that triggers this."

Jack opened his mouth to retort but seemed to understand what his father was getting at, because he nodded his head and took a slow, cleansing breath.

Ron squared his shoulders. "I want you to go take a shower and get ready for bed. Just try to relax, okay? If Lily is what's making you act this way then just stay away from her. It's as simple as that. Stay away from her tonight until we figure this out."

Jack nodded and walked into his bathroom, shutting the door behind him gently. Once he was out of sight, Ron opened the drawer on Jack's nightstand and found one of the bottles containing some of the bonding potion Jack was taking. He slipped it into his pocket and sat down to wait for Jack to emerge once more.

* * *

Ron stayed with Jack until he knew he'd settled down. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning when he got back to his quarters. He considered knocking on Harry's door to see if Lily was okay, but trusted that they must all be asleep by now. He entered the bedroom he shared with Hermione after checking on his youngest son in the room next to theirs. His wife slept peacefully on her side, facing away from his side of the bed.

For a moment, he just watched her. Sighing, he thought back on all their years together. It had never been easy. But no matter how bad the days were, coming home to her always made even hell seem like heaven.

_Another baby_, he thought to himself. It was hard to believe that soon they'd be starting all over again. Their family was still expanding even eighteen years after they got married. It didn't seem possible. Though he knew he'd never want it any other way.

He slipped into bed behind Hermione and wrapped an arm around her waist possessively. _Yes, this was heaven indeed._

* * *

Lily walked to her dorm room door at half past three in the morning. She'd gone to her father's quarters but found that he wasn't there. She waited in their living room for a while, considering just napping on the couch but thought better of it. She just wanted to go and get in bed. She wanted to be with Jack, though she knew she couldn't. Lately she seemed to bring out the worst in him. She'd have to settle for her lonely bed again tonight.

When she turned the door knob and entered the sitting room she was surprised to see Jack sitting up by the fire. He heard her sharp intake of breath and turned to see her standing there in the doorway. He quickly stood up and raked a hand nervously through his hair.

"Lily," he breathed, showing his surprise. "Um, my dad said you were staying with your dad tonight," he said uncertainly.

"He's not there. They probably stayed at the house tonight. Sometimes they do that," she reminded him.

"Oh, right," he said lamely. He watched her come into the room properly and shut the door behind her. She leaned against the wood of the door and refused to meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about your mom, Jack," she said finally.

"Oh love, you don't have to be sorry," he said, coming around to the other side of the sofa but not going any closer. "I was totally out of line before."

She shook her head. "No, I should have said something. I'm sorry I made you angry."

He struggled with what to say, "I had n…no right to…hurt you…like that. I'm so incredibly sorry. I don't think I can ever forgive myself for what I've done to you."

She walked over to him and cupped his face in her hand. She watched him turn his face and kiss the inside of her palm. His glistening eyes never left hers. It was a simple gesture, but it spoke a thousand words.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry too," she said sadly. "I think I'm going to turn in. Do you have a meeting tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he said, looking back to the clock on the mantel. "I should get to bed. Why don't you just stay here tomorrow? You should rest and I don't really think they'll need you."

"Alright," she agreed. She turned and walked towards her bedroom door.

"Lily," his voice called out to her.

She turned around and looked at him, "Yes?"

He wanted to ask her to sleep in his bed tonight but he knew that would definitely be pushing it. Instead he settled for, "You know I love you, right?"

She looked at him for a second, and for the first time in all their years together she hesitated in her answer. "I know," she said finally. "I'll see you tomorrow."

They both walked into their separate bedrooms and shut the door, each one longing to be with the other, but neither really knowing if they had the right to ask.

* * *

Harry Potter sat at his desk in his classroom, reading his fifth year's essays when a voice interrupted his concentration.

"Hey, mate," Ron said, walking up to the desk.

Harry put down his quill and leaned back in his chair. "Hey, Ron."

Ron pulled a chair over and sat in front of Harry's desk with a tense look on his face. "I don't know what we're going to do," he said suddenly.

"Do?" Harry repeated. "Do about what?"

"Haven't you talked to Lily?" Ron asked, surprised.

Harry shook his head, "No, I saw her yesterday for a few minutes when she got back from work but I haven't talked to her since then."

"You and Gin didn't stay at Hogwarts last night, did you?" Ron assumed.

"No, we've been staying at home for the past few nights. Ginny wants to get the nursery ready for the baby before she gets too far along in her pregnancy. You and 'Mione should think about doing that too, you know." Harry's eyes seemed to twinkle. "Who would have thought we'd be in this position?"

"Well, Melissa and Hermione were pregnant with Jack and Lily around the same time, though Hermione and I didn't know it," Ron pointed out.

"Good point," Harry conceded. "Now, what were you talking about before? Something about Lily?"

Ron sighed and stood up to walk over to the window. He stood in front of it for a while, staring out into the rolling grounds and watching students hurrying to and from class. "I think something is wrong with Jack," he said after a moment's pause. He didn't turn to face Harry so Harry walked over to join him.

"Why? What happened?"

"Last night I sent Joe and Andy over to see Jack and Lily. They were only gone for about fifteen minutes and when they came back Andy was furious. He said Jack was yelling at Lily and acting aggressive. I decided to take a walk over there to make sure everything was okay. I was just about to their dorm room door when I turned the corner and ran right into Lily. She was hysterical. I've never seen her that scared before." Ron stopped again and looked over to see how Harry was taking all this. He had a look of deep concentration on his face mixed with a little confusion.

"What was she scared about? Did she tell you?" Harry asked, seeming eager to get to the bottom of this.

"I don't know what set Jack off," Ron stated, "But from the looks of things he must have grabbed her arms pretty tight. I noticed the bruises. That's when I told her to go find you. I figured you were here."

"Wait a minute," Harry said holding up his hand. He walked back to his desk and sat on the edge of it facing Ron. "Are you trying to tell me that Jack hurt Lily intentionally?"

Ron nodded. "That's what it looks like."

"No," Harry dismissed. "He wouldn't."

"Exactly," Ron said firmly. He walked over and sat in the chair in front of Harry. "In sound mind Jack would never lay a hand on Lily. We both know that."

"What are you getting at?"

"Jack hasn't been himself lately. He's not one to bottle things up and push feelings away. Lily's the one that does that. He's usually the one that makes her open up. But ever since the miscarriage the roles seem to have been reversed."

"So what you're saying is that someone is intervening in all this?" Harry pieced together. It was clear he was on the same wave length as Ron. They'd been friends for years and this was why. They thought a lot alike.

"Yes, the question is not so much who but how—and why."

"Any ideas?"

"I took a vile of the bonding potion Jack is taking," Ron said, taking it out of his pocket and holding it up. "I'm going to break it down to see if all the proper ingredients are in here."

"You can do that?" Harry asked, somewhat astonished.

"I am the potions master," Ron said evilly.

"Sorry, I guess I just still haven't gotten used to you liking that stuff," Harry said lamely. "So you're saying there could be something in the potion making him behave strangely."

"There could be. I'm doing a background check on the healer who prescribed this to Jack and Lily. I've already sent an owl to Dennis at the department. He's going to make sure that he keeps Jack and Lily apart at work until we figure this out. It shouldn't be a problem thought because they haven't been working together really since Christmas."

"What a minute, the healer? She's the one who told us about the curse Lily was put under. Why would she give away that secret if she was working for Malfoy?"

"I don't know, Harry. I could very well be barking up the wrong tree, but we can't rule anything out. All I know is that last night Jack was a totally different person. He would _never_ hurt Lily unless something was being triggered in his mind. Something telling him that was the only way. And last night when I went to check on Jack after I sent Lily to you it was almost like he really didn't' remember what he'd done; almost like he'd been under an enchantment. I've seen this before, Harry. It's definitely something that caused by a potion. A spell wouldn't be this subtle."

"And we can't tell Jack and Lily because…"

"…Because whoever is doing this may find out that we're on to them. If we want to catch whoever it is red handed…"

"…We have to keep Jack and Lily in the dark," Harry finished.

The two friends stared at each other for several minutes in silence. They nodded their heads in agreement and Ron stood up and walked towards the door.

"I'll work on the potion," he said. "I'll also snoop around down in the kitchen to see if there is anything out of the ordinary down there."

"Right," Harry agreed, "And I'll work with Dennis on possible suspects and other things that might be causing this."

"And we have to try to keep Jack and Lily apart if at all possible. I don't really know what he's capable of," Ron advised.

"Okay, we'll need to tell Gin and 'Mione and they can help us with that."

"Good idea, mate. I've got to go check on Hermione now. I'll let you get back to those essays."

"Okay," Harry said, watching Ron walk away. _Now this could be a challenge._

* * *

The following Friday Jack sat at the Gryffindor table and watched Harry escort Lily to dinner. They were deep in conversation when they entered the Great Hall but stopped once they reached him.

"What was that all about?" Jack said after kissing her hello once she sat down.

They hadn't spoken much since he got back from his mission. They'd slept in separate bedrooms all week. He could tell she was waiting for him to extend the invitation but for some reason he just couldn't bring himself to do it. After what happened the other night, he just wanted space between them. He didn't trust himself to be alone with her. Lily had been kept occupied yesterday by helping Ginny set up the nursery. She'd promised his mum that she'd do the same for her next week.

"We were just talking about the wedding," Lily answered, bringing Jack back to the present.

"I still can't believe you two are getting married," Brad said, shaking his head from across the table from them. "It seems like we were just little first years yesterday, and now look at us!"

"It seems like an eternity for me," Lily said, smiling up at Jack, "but a good portion of it has been great so I guess that makes up for the bad."

"Are you going to stop calling Jack's parents aunt and uncle once you get married?" Mea asked, sitting next to Brad.

"I don't know. They have always been family so I wouldn't feel comfortable calling them by their first names. I may be able to call Aunt Hermione 'Mom' but it would get confusing to call Uncle Ron 'Dad,' especially with my father living here!"

"Where are you having the wedding?" Mea questioned.

"Here at school," Lily said, placing an elbow on the table and rested her hand on her chin.

Someone tapped Jack on the shoulder, bringing an end to their discussion about the wedding. Jack and Lily turned to see a fellow auror from the ministry.

"I've come to get you Jack. Your random duel test with Dennis has been scheduled for tonight," the auror said, looking grim.

"Oh great," Jack said, standing up and looking over Brad and Mea. "I'll see you guys later." He turned to Lily who was staring up at him and said, "Don't wait up, okay?"

"Alright," she said, offering him a smile and squeezing his hand before he walked off with the auror.

"Random duel?" Brad asked, looking confused.

"It's just like a test each auror has with the department head once a year. I had mine a few months ago," Lily explained to him.

* * *

Lily spent the remainder of dinner talking with Mea and Brad about various things. When everyone was dismissed back to their dormitories she went back with them to see all her Gryffindor friends in their common room. She was there for about forty five minutes before she noticed someone was missing.

"Where's Dylan? I haven't seen him in ages," Lily asked Mea, who was sitting in the chair across from her.

"I don't know," Mea said as she looked around the room. "I haven't seen him all night. Brad hasn't been with him, I know that much."

"I'm going to look for him," Lily announced as she stood up and bid everyone goodnight.

She didn't really know where to look but something told her she needed to find him. She walked all around the castle and didn't have any luck finding him until she had an idea. She walked down to the dungeons where potions classes had been held before Jack's father took over the job. There he was, in the exact spot Allan had been killed.

"I thought you might be here," Lily said, walking up behind him.

"How'd you know," Dylan said, looking guilty.

"Just a hunch," she answered simply. "Wow, I haven't been down here in a while."

"Jack would kill you if he knew you were down here," Dylan said, looking at her through a sideways glance.

"That he would, my friend. We both know he's crazy."

Dylan raised an eye brown. "Crazy over you," he said flatly with a hint of humor in his voice.

She arched an eyebrow and stepped away from Dylan and walked a few feet to look up and down the dungeon. She could remember what happened like it was yesterday. She had been standing right here when…

"Do you ever think about him?" Dylan asked, suddenly interrupting her trip down a destructive memory lane. They both knew who he was referring to, and it wasn't Jack.

"I only think about him these days when I'm awake. I used to have dreams about him. We'd all be sitting together under our tree out by the lake and he'd just walk up to us and sit down. We all acted as if nothing had happened at all."

"I miss those days."

"What days?"

"Days like the one you just described from your dreams. When we could all just be together and hang out and no one had to worry about who was killing who or when the next attack would take place," Dylan said with much regret.

"I miss them too. I guess it's just apart of growing up. We just had to do it a little sooner then most people."

The more the two of them talked, the closer Lily felt herself come to losing it. Things had changed so much so fast and it was becoming too hard to deal with.

"Do you ever think we'll get that back?"

"Get what back?"

"That happiness we had before all this shit happened. We were so carefree. It almost seems like anther lifetime. I mean look at you now. Sometimes when I see you, I don't know who you are anymore."

She didn't quite know what to say to that, but she did know he was right. She had changed very much over the last two years. She knew he hadn't meant to hurt her by what he said, but deep down the turn of their conversation was very painful. "I guess we just have to be thankful for the time we all had together. I know I'll cherish those memories 'til the day I die."

"But why did we get cheated out of our childhood? Why were we denied what so many other kids in this school take for granted?" he asked rhetorically.

"It isn't a matter of what we were denied. Just think about what it would be like if my father's generation hadn't gotten rid of Voldemort. There would be none of us here."

"Tell me the truth about something."

"Sure."

He turned to face her and something about him looked threatening. "Are you happy? I mean outside of Jack, are you happy with your life and the way things are going for you?"

"No," she responded honestly.

"Why not be happy now?"

"I don't know if I know how," she said, not hesitating for a second.

"I don't know if I buy that one. What is worth fighting for if you don't have happiness to keep you going?"

"Why all the hard questions?" she asked, somewhat annoyed. She knew she had changed, and her friends were hurt by it, but most of it had been out of her control. Couldn't he see that she would give her life to go back and change things about the past?

"I've just been doing some thinking lately. And I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to do all I can to make myself happy. I've seen too much death and regret and know what its like to live without happiness. I think about Al and how carefree he always was. Do you remember?"

"Oh course I remember. I remember everything," Lily said with deep sadness.

"He walked around here like he had the world at his feet. When I die I want to be able to honestly say I was happy in my life. I don't want to look back on things and wish I'd lived my life differently."

"I hope you find whatever you're seeking, Dylan. I really do."

"I'm sorry if the whole thing with my brother hurt your feelings. I don't hate you Lil, or hate what you do. It's just not what I want for my brother…that's all," he said, looking uncomfortable. What he didn't know was that what he had just said hurt her more than anything else he had ever done.

She tried to recover from her momentary case of melancholy and responded quickly. "Well, he's your brother. It makes sense that you'd want what's best for him. I know I don't have the most glamorous life. But the truth is that things have never been easy. I'm not saying that I've had this completely terrible life or anything…my life has been wonderful and most of it I wouldn't change for anything. I'm sorry if you feel I've been a disappointment to you in terms of our friendship. You've got to realize that I'm not perfect and I make mistakes. I really hope things go the way you want them to.

"I should get going though. I'll see you around, Dylan." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek like she always used to do and walked speedily out of the dungeon before he had the opportunity to say a word.

She didn't go back to her dorm until a quarter to midnight, and when she got there the dorm was not at all empty. Flash was perched in his corner and the kittens who were now growing larger wandered around freely. She didn't even bother going to check to see if Jack was at home.

_He won't want me with him_, the thought bitterly. She walked into her own room and shut the door softly behind her.

* * *

Jack wandered into their quarters at half past midnight. He entered his room and found that Lily wasn't in bed. He turned around in a slight panic and then remembered their changed sleeping arrangements.

He walked over to her room and softly opened the door. The moonlight came through the window casting a shadow on the large four poster bed in the center of the room. He walked over to the bed and found Lily sleeping peacefully on her side. He extended his hand and brushed the hair off her face.

She screwed up her face and moaned softly in return.

At the sound, Jack retracted his hand and slowly backed away from the bed. _She doesn't want you here,_ he thought to himself. _She's afraid of you now._

He left the room and closed the door quietly behind him. Sighing, he walked across the sitting room and into his own lonely bedroom for another night of fitful sleep.

* * *

Lily didn't see Jack until dinnertime the next day, because she stayed late at the hospital to help out a friend who needed to leave her shift early. She walked gingerly over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Jack wearily.

"Hey there!" he said, clearly happy to see her as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I missed you."

Lily was almost too tired to speak so she just offered him a smile, a lame excuse for a thank you kiss, and began gathering food on her plate for dinner. She spent the first half of the meal staring off into the distance in deep thought. She couldn't seem to get her conversation with Dylan off her mind.

At the moment, Dylan was sitting a few seats away from her, talking to Brad. He kept sending her awkward looks like he wanted to say something but didn't know who to form the words. She looked up at the staff table and caught her father looking at her with a worried expression. She gave him a half-hearted smile and returned to picking at her food.

They were all eating their food in silence for the last several minutes. Jack noticed Lily rubbing her temples as if her head hurt. He leaned over and put a hand on her knee under the table. "What's wrong, love?" Jack asked quietly in her ear so no one would hear.

"Just a headache," she said, rubbing her temples again and closing her eyes. "I think I'm going to go back to our room and lie down." She placed the napkin that had been on her lap back on the table and stood up.

"I'll come with you," Jack said, making to stand up with her until she shook her head.

"No, you stay here with everyone. I'm perfectly capable of walking down some halls and up a few flights of stairs on my own. Come back when you're finished with dinner." She kissed his cheek and walked away from the table. Jack wanted to go with her, but he didn't want to smother her so he turned back to his friends.

"Where's Lils going?" Brad said, nodding his head toward Lily's retreating form.

Jack smiled at the name Brad had used. It was a pet name they use to call her when they were younger. "She's going to bed early. She's got a headache."

Brad's eyes twinkled as he asked his next question. "So, are you ready to be a married man Jack?"

"Yeah, I-" Jack was cut off by the sounds of people running into the Great Hall. He stood up recognizing the people immediately. They were all aurors. Dennis was even with them.

"What's going on, guys?" Jack asked as they approached him.

All the men were out of breath but one of them managed to speak in between large breaths of air. "Attack…in Hogsmeade…death eaters are…terrorizing the village."

Jack immediately raced off to the staff table to inform the teachers. Harry and Ron were talking about something with smiles on their faces, but their smiles dropped when they saw the look on Jack's face.

"There's an attack in Hogsmeade!" Jack said frantically. Professor McGonagall stood up and told all the students to return to their dormitories. The Great Hall was in utter chaos. Students remembered all too well the events of the last attack, and bolted back to their dormitories where it would hopefully be safe.

"I'm going. They need my help," Jack said just before running back with the other aurors.

"Where's Lily?" Harry yelled at him right after he took off.

"In our dorm room!" Jack yelled over his shoulder. Ron turned to Harry and gave him an all too familiar look. Harry read his mind and they both walked around the table and down the isle between the house tables swiftly. They got as far as the entrance hall when they saw a strange accumulation of people blocking the doorway.

"What's going on now?" Harry asked loudly, looking around. He spotted Jack standing with some of the aurors that had run into the Great Hall to alert them of the attack. He looked pale as a ghost and was staring straight ahead. Ron and Harry followed his line of vision. There in front of the group was a large blue bubble-like structure containing two fighting bodies. It didn't take Harry long to recognize one of the people.

"I thought you said she was in your dorm," Harry said as he fought his way over to where Jack was standing with Ron close behind him.

"She was," Jack said, mesmerized by what was going on.

Lily was fighting with someone inside the bubble, but neither of them seemed to be using any magic. They were fighting hand to hand. Jack winced as he saw her take a hard punch to the stomach. She fell to the ground and the man jumped on top of her, punching her in the face over and over again. Harry had to hold Jack back from leaping forward into the unknown bubble.

After a few more minutes of this fighting, the man stood up and pulled a wand out of his pocket, removing the bubble. Lily clearly saw his intentions and didn't move or try to save herself in the slightest. He raised his wand to perform what clearly would have been a deadly curse before Harry and Jack both jumped him from behind. Both of them were too upset to use magic and had him knocked out before anyone could have said "Qudditch." Just to be safe, Harry was already binding him in ropes and getting ready to levitate him away.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked, rushing over to Lily who was still on the ground propped up by her elbows.

"I'm fine," she said, trying to smile at him.

Jack was not at all amused. "Good. _NEVER_ DO THAT AGAIN!" He screamed at her before sweeping from the room and following the other aurors into town.

* * *

It was nearly three in the morning and Lily was still alone in their dorm waiting for Jack to come home. After the duel he had left with Dennis and the others to join the fighting in town. Her father had insisted she go to the hospital wing and get checked out, and then she was forbidden to go help the others after she had been examined. She was then sent back to her dorm to rest, and Harry had come to check on her twice already to make sure she had not gone into Hogsmeade against medical judgment. She hadn't rested at all in the hours she had been there all by herself. She waited for Jack to come home restlessly.

The door opened behind her and she saw Jack step inside. He looked tired, and for some reason not happy to see her at all. He crossed the room and opened his bedroom door, pulling off his now dirty and torn robes as he went.

He spoke with his back to her when he heard her footsteps following him. "What are you still doing up?"

"Waiting for you," she answered meekly. She almost felt like she was afraid to talk to him after the way he yelled at her in front of everyone earlier.

"You should have gone to bed. You need to rest," he said coldly from the bathroom washing the dirt off his face.

"Jack, are you alright? Talk to me…Did something happen?" she said, racking her brain for what could be wrong with him.

"No, nothing's wrong and nothing happened," he said, simply pulling off his shirt to reveal a deep red scratch on his back.

"You're hurt…let me checked that out," she stated as she walked over to him to examine the cut, warily waiting to see what he'd say. She didn't have to wait long.

"Don't worry about it! It's just a scratch, Lily. Get off my case!" He shrugged her off him and walked around her back into the bedroom.

After his harsh comment, she decided it was best to keep her distance so she took a few steps back. "Jack, what's wrong?"

"Lily, just go to bed, okay? I can't deal with you right now," he said, taking off his pants and putting on a shirt to sleep in.

Lily took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. She walked backwards and sat on his bed, then looked to her right and fingered the embroidery on the duvet cover. She looked up at him after several minutes and found him brushing his teeth, not even caring that what he had just said hurt her badly. Not wanting to press him for any further information, she got up and walked to the door.

"I guess I'll just leave you alone then," she said, hoping he'd tell her not to.

"Do what you want," he said from the bathroom.

She nodded and left the room without another word.

A/N- Okay, here's the deal. I've recently had a breakthrough with this story thanks to my beta. So, I've decided to make this a trilogy. This part of the story will end in a few chapters and another will begin. I'll let you know what the title is before then don't worry. The plot is taking a dramatic turn so look out. In the meantime, enjoy the next few chapters and PLEASE REVIEW!


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo: Better This Way

A/N- Okay guys, this is the second to last chapter. The third part of the story should be out in a few weeks. I haven't got the chance to start writing it yet because I'm working two jobs. But don't worry, it will be written! I promise! I'm not sure what I'm going to call it yet but I'll be sure to decide before I post the next chapter. In the meantime, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Better This Way

Jack hardly slept at all that night. He knew he'd been overly harsh with Lily, and he shouldn't have allowed her sleep in her own room all week. She could have another nightmare, and he wouldn't be there to wake her up. But he couldn't shake the image of her lying on the ground, waiting for that man to kill her in an instant. Why hadn't she at least tried to get up and stop him?

He got up after two hours of tossing and turning and walked into Lily's room. She was lying on her stomach with both her arms up under her pillow. She never slept like that when she was with him. She was always resting her head on his chest or had her back to him with his arms around her from behind. He shook his head to get the images out of his mind. He wanted nothing more than to crawl in bed with her and hold her like any other night. But something prevented him from doing so, and he returned to his own empty room.

That night the hours seemed like days but sooner or later his body took over and sleep came restlessly. Even in his dreams he saw the events that transpired just a few hours before. They taunted him and reminded him of what had almost been lost. Again.

The next morning, he woke up a little later than he would have liked. When he left his bedroom and entered Lily's, he found she wasn't there. He noticed the walls in her shower were wet and realized she must have gone out somewhere.

He looked at her calendar on the wall and saw that it was Sunday, meaning she was working again today. He probably wouldn't see her until dinner like yesterday. Going back to his room, he put on some cloths and left the dorm.

He walked aimlessly for several minutes before he decided to stop by his parent's quarters to give them a visit. Jack, his brothers, and Lily all used to spend Saturdays in there, just catching up on things. He had missed that over the last year or so. Walking down the staff's corridor he saw Harry turn the corner and walk towards him.

He wasn't sure if Lily's father was the person he wanted to see right now. He had screamed at her the night before right in front of Harry, and he didn't know if he was mad at him for it.

"Hey, Jack! Where're you off to?" Harry said brightly.

Jack noticed his lightness and guessed that he wasn't angry about the night before. "To see Mum and Dad," he said, trying to sound just as upbeat. "I wanted to see what they were up to."

"I was just headed there myself. I think your parents are making lunch for your brothers. We haven't seen much of you lately."

"I've been busy," Jack replied. They both entered the room together and found it filled with both sunlight and laughter. Ron rounded the corner to greet them when he heard the door open.

"Oh Jack, we didn't think you were coming," Ron said, smiling at him. "Where's Lily?"

"She's working," Jack answered, taking a seat on the couch.

"Is she alright after the duel yesterday?" Ron asked as he took a seat next to Harry across from Jack.

"I suppose she's fine. She was asleep when I got back," Jack lied. Harry and Ron exchanged looks but neither said a word.

"You're staying for lunch, right? I know your brothers would love it. Andy and Kyle are outside playing Qudditch right now, but they should be in any second. And Brandon and Joe are in the other room."

Jack nodded his head. "I can stay. I feel like I've been neglecting them."

"I'm sure they don't feel that way. They know what you and Lily are doing is important, even if it takes away from the time you two get to spend with them," Ron rationalized.

Jack took a cleansing breath. He didn't know why he felt so depressed today, but the feelings didn't seem to want to leave him alone. "I wouldn't blame them if they did. I should be a better role model. Instead of being here with my family, I've spent all my time chasing demons with Lily."

"Is something wrong?" Ron asked, sensing the tension.

"It's nothing," Jack said, lying yet again.

"I don't believe you," Ron stated, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, clearly trying to keep the conversation light.

"I guess I'm a bad liar then," Jack admitted, "But I don't really think I want to talk about it."

"Talking helps," Harry said to help him open up.

"I know…but I'd rather just keep this between Lily and me if you guys don't mind."

"So this has to do with Lily," Ron picked surmised.

"Dad, just drop it okay," Jack pleaded.

"You both have lost a child. You need to talk to each other, not keep away from her," Ron pointed out.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Jack said through gritted teeth.

Ron shrugged and left, leaving Harry and Jack alone. The two sat there in awkward silence. Neither of them really knew what to say, so they both stared at their surroundings for a few moments.

Afternoon sunshine swept in through large windows on the opposite side of the room from the front door. Ron and Hermione's desks sat on the other side of the room. Hermione's desk was slightly cleaner and more organized than Ron's, though it didn't reflect her former obsessive self. Marriage and motherhood had changed Hermione. She was no long the uptight teenager she had once been. She grew up to be a well-rounded adult.

"Do you love her?" Harry asked solemnly, breaking the silence.

"Of course I love her! What kind of question is that?" Jack asked smartly and without much thought.

"I just wanted to remind you. If you really love her than you'll work this out… whatever it is," Harry answered before leaving Jack alone with his thoughts.

* * *

"How are things at work, Jack?" Ron asked once lunch was over and the younger boys were no longer in the room. "Have you told Lily about the Dark Mark sightings yet?" 

Jack took a deep breath before answering. Everyone in the room had brought up Lily at every opportunity, and it was driving him crazy. "No, the department is not informing anyone about the Dark Marks. I know she's suspicious after what happened at St. Mungos. We still don't know who is doing it, and they don't want to start a panic. I couldn't tell Lily even _if_ I wanted to."

"Why don't you want to tell her? It might be better to have someone to talk to about this," Harry suggested.

"It would just give her something else to worry about," Jack replied, looking away.

"Something else for her to worry about or something else for you to worry about?" Harry asked.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jack asked in response.

Harry kept his tone even in spite of Jack's mounting aggression. "Jack, you both have been under an extreme amount of pressure. It's understandable that you two may fight because of the stress. Maybe you think that by keeping this from Lily, you're sparing yourself the added stress of having to deal with her reaction to the news."

"I don't know what's going on with Lily and me," Jack sighed. "I think it might be work-related. It's kind of disheartening because nothing the auror department does seems to do end up helping any. We've already had a department head turn to the other side, and no one really knows who to trust. The death eaters are always on the move, and they seem to be actively recruiting now. The Ministry has done a pretty good job covering everything up so far, but that can only last so long. I think its time they realize that we can't fight this on our own. We need help from the rest of the magical community before this threat is going to go away."

"Is that the only reason why you have been working such ridiculous hours…because they don't want to involve anyone else?" Hermione wondered.

"I guess so." Jack stood up and walked over to his father's desk to find something to occupy his fidgety hands. He settled on the golden snitch Harry had caught years ago. It was the snitch that won the cup for Gryffindor during his parents third year of school. "Things sure aren't the way they used to be," Jack said finally.

"You should talk to Lily about it," Hermione advised.

"I will when I'm ready," Jack assured her. His tone was short and somewhat annoyed this time, however.

Ron decided to clarify what his wife had said. "I don't think she was talking about the auror department problems or the dark mark. You two have been distant for a while. We're all noticed."

"I know you guys are concerned, and I can understand why. But if Lily and I are going to make it, we're going to have to work these things out on our own," Jack told them.

"What do you mean, _if_ you and Lily make it? I've never heard you talk like that about Lily before," Hermione pointed out.

"Things change, people change. It's just really hard to remember what it was like before everything started happening. Lily's done a pretty good job of trying to push me away," Jack concluded.

Hermione stood up and walked over to her son. She put her arms around him and tried to send him the strength he needed to keep going. "Oh Jack, you can't give up on Lily. You love her more than anything. I know you do."

Jack let his mother hug him for a few lingering seconds before he pulled away. "I can't save Lily if she doesn't want to be saved."

"She's just scared," Harry spoke up.

"I know she's scared. But I can't help her if she won't admit to herself that she's scared. It would be a lot easier if she didn't act like nothing's happened. Like she's fine. I know she's not fine and she's not stable enough for me to talk to her about my issues so I'm kind of stuck." Jack took a deep breath. "Like I said, this is really between Lily and me. I'd rather just let it happen naturally. I don't want anyone trying to interfere because they don't want to see us split up. Let us handle this." Jack kissed his mother on the forehead and bid everyone else goodbye before escaping into the corridor.

* * *

Lily came home late while the rest of the school was having dinner. Not even bothering to change her clothes, she headed straight for the Great Hall and searched the Gryffindor table for signs of her friends. She found Jack sitting and talking with Brad and Dylan. They looked to be having a good time since they were laughing and cracking jokes with one another. 

It reminded her of old times. The same old times she and Dylan had just been discussing the other night. She had come into the Great Hall so many times in years past to find them doing this exact thing. Jack looked happier then he had in a long time.

For some reason, it hurt to see Jack having a good time without her. She knew she was being dreadfully selfish, but after the way everything went down last night, she couldn't help but feel left out. He seemed to be doing fine without her, despite the fact that she didn't feel fine without him. Was that a permanent change or was it something that was just happening at this moment?

Suddenly realizing she was no longer hungry, Lily turned on her heel to go back to the dorm. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she nearly walked right into Mea.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Mea asked cheerfully. "I bet Jack's expecting you at dinner."

"I was going back to my dorm. I'm kind of tired. I don't think Jack will even notice I'm not there," Lily said before smiling forcibly and walking around her friend at a brisk pace.

Mea nodded her head and walked over to her friends at the Gryffindor table. "I just ran into Lily over there," she said as she took a seat next to Brad.

"Did you?" Jack asked dryly.

"Yeah, she seemed in a hurry to get out of here. She said she was tired and going back to the dorm. Care to explain something to me, Jack? Why is she so upset?"

"I'd rather not actually," Jack replied. "Drop it, Mea."

"Alright, but she's a really good friend of mine and I don't want to see something happen to the two of you," Mea warned.

"We're fine," Jack lied. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. The real question was whether he was lying to himself as well as everyone else.

* * *

Jack didn't get back to the dorm until about midnight. He had gone back to Gryffindor tower with the guys and spent time with them in the old common room. He'd forgotten how nice it was to be in there with everyone else. When he entered the room he found Lily sitting by the fire with a book on her lap. One of the kittens was snuggled up next to her and she scratched its ears mindlessly. When she heard him enter she turned abruptly, but kept her voice calm. 

"Hey."

"Hey," Jack answered, taking a seat in another arm chair. He didn't make any attempt to start a conversation with her either. He really didn't know why he'd come in here in the first place, he was in no mood to talk to her right now.

"Work was good," she said awkwardly.

"That's nice," he replied. He heard her take a shuddering breath and glanced up at her. She wasn't looking at him at all. Just staring down at the kitten she was still petting. He saw her eyes glaze in the firelight and he knew she was on the verge of tears. He felt horrible because he knew he was causing her pain this time, but his empathy did nothing to keep his temper in check.

She spoke again but didn't take her eyes off the kitten. "Did you have fun tonight?"

"Yeah, Mea said she ran into you at the Great Hall entrance. Why didn't you come to dinner?"

"I decided I wasn't hungry."

"Oh," was all he could think of to say in return.

She finally raised some Gryffindor courage to ask him the question she'd been aching to know since the night before. "Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

He looked at her with absolutely no emotion in his eyes. "No," he replied shortly.

"Why are you lying to me?" she pressed further with her eyes welling with more tears. When he gave no reply and refused to even look at her, she gave up her offensive and blinked her tears back furiously. "Fine, keep your secrets," she stated coldly.

"The department sent an owl. They don't need us there tomorrow. Dennis says he wants to give us a little break," Jack said, changing the subject.

"That'll be nice," she said after taking a deep breath and getting a hold of her emotions. "What are you planning on doing tomorrow then?" For a second she almost thought he had something planned for them to do together. It felt like they hadn't had any real time they could spend together as a couple since after Christmas.

"Brad and Dylan asked me to play Qudditch like we used to. They only have classes in the morning. You're welcome to come if you want," he offered.

Whenever he was around her he seemed to say things he didn't mean. Lily must have sensed that he didn't want her to come, because she looked really hurt and she wouldn't meet his gaze. "No, that's okay. You go and have fun. I can find something else to do."

"Like what?" he asked with the edge returning to his voice without him even willing it to be there.

"I'll owl the hospital and tell them I can pick up an extra shift. They've been short staffed lately and I haven't been back there since--"

"Is work all you care about?" he wondered under his breath and cutting her off from her previous statement.

"That's a little hypocritical, don't you think?"

"I'm not the one going into work on our day off," he spat at her.

"I don't want to fight with you, Jack. Go have fun with your friends and maybe I'll see you tomorrow night." She stood up and walked into her bedroom. All at once she needed to get away from him and the pain his remoteness was causing her. Unfortunately for her, he was hot on her trail.

"It wasn't so long ago that they were your friends too!" He bellowed as she walked to her bookcase and returned the book she had been preoccupying herself with.

"Why should I talk to you at all? Nothing I say is right anymore!"

"Why are you being like this?" he asked angrily.

She finally snapped, turning around to face him with angry body language. "Oh, I'm so sorry my attitude is raining on your good mood, Jack! You certainly were in a great mood when I saw you at dinner. I haven't seen you that happy in ages!"

"I _was_ happy! Until I came home to you. It's you who's making me unhappy!" he screamed at her, though as soon as the words left his mouth he wished he could take them back. He didn't know what was making him say these things. Did he really mean them? He couldn't mean them…could he?

She took two steps back from him, almost as if she was afraid of him. His words had hit home hard. She stared at him with wide eyes for several moments, not daring to say anything in return. How did things turn so bad so fast? Looking away she shook her head trying to make sense of what he had just revealed.

"I didn't mean that," Jack said halfheartedly. He made no attempt to go to her and hold her, which was just about the only thing that _would_ have made her believe him.

"No, you meant it. You just didn't mean to say it out loud," she said softly, not looking him in the eye. Her tears were returning and she knew this time she was powerless to stop them.

"There you go twisting everything around again!" Jack said with raising anger once more. She raised her face to him with tears beaming from her now clouded emerald eyes. She hadn't wanted him to see how upset she was, but she realized she really didn't care anymore.

"What do you want from me!" she screamed back at him with her hands gripping her temples.

"I don't know anymore!" he yelled back, turning his back to her and facing the doorway. He stood there motionless for several seconds before he turned back to her with livid watery eyes and an unreadable expression. "Things between us used to be so simple. I loved you and you loved me and that was all there was to it. When did that change? I've tried to be there for you, but that doesn't seem to be enough anymore!"

"Jack, you think I don't know what you're feeling?" she looked at him wildly. "You think I haven't known since I lost the baby how much I repulse you? You think I don't feel how much you don't want me near you? Why do you think I've stayed away!"

He stared at her blankly and shook his head. Deep down he had known she could feel his emotions, but looking in her painful eyes and seeing just what he'd done to her was a whole different story.

Lily's head had long ago begun to pound, and the pain only increased as their argument pushed them further and further apart. She could feel the distance growing with every hurtful word that left his mouth. Every time he closed off and pushed her away. But then again, hadn't she known this would come on day? She hurriedly wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to look like the strong self-sufficient woman she knew she was deep inside.

"No one ever told you that you had to love me, Jack. I never asked for someone to take care of me! I would have been fine on my own. But you came along and had to show me what it felt like to be loved and wanted. I'd never felt that before. I didn't know what it was."

Rage seemed to course through his body and he spoke again without considering the meaning of his words. "Then I'm sorry for caring! And I'm sorry for loving you! You're evidently not who I thought you were."

For an endless moment, she just stood there, giving Jack just enough time to be sorry for his words but not long enough for him to try and take them back. She nodded her head in an almost understanding way and looked him in the eye. It was almost as if he could see her building up a wall around herself again; that same wall that had taken him years to break through.

She walked over to him, so close he could see the ache etched in her face. "You know, when I found out I was pregnant I had this vision. This hope, really, that somehow you would be happy about it. That somehow deep down you would remember that you loved me and that we'd be okay no matter what. I guess with all I've put you through, your love for me has been buried so deep you can't even access it anymore. I know what you said in the hospital wasn't from your heart. You don't want children; at least not with me."

She took a deep breath and spoke in a wounded tone. "I'm going to do you a favor, Jack," she said as she took off her engagement ring and placed it on the bed, not trusting herself to hand it to him properly. "You're off the hook. You don't have to pretend to love me anymore. Go find someone who can really make you happy; the way I can't. Someone you can be proud to love. And one day when she tells you she's having your child, promise me you'll give her every ounce of support.

"Don't even think about the baby we lost. It wasn't meant to be. You obviously deserve better than I can give you. I'm glad you finally see that now. I'm only sorry I seem to have lost my best friend in the process."

He closed his eyes at her last comment and shook his head. Still, not matter how hard he tried he couldn't form the words he so wanted to say. She swept from the room grabbing her tennis shoes as she went. She was clearly planning on going for a run. After he heard the bedroom door shut behind her followed by the slam of the front door, he looked down at the ring on top of the bed. He had no idea what made him say those things. He also had no idea what prevented him from going after her now. The events of the night before made him so sick he wanted to throw up. _What was he going to do now?_

* * *

Lily put her socked feet in the shoes she had been carrying since she left the dorm. Hot tears made their way down her face and she didn't even bother to wipe them away. She hadn't looked back since she left the room, and when she glanced over her shoulder now she hoped to see Jack running after her. Telling her to take the ring back, and that he really hadn't meant to say those things. That he wasn't sorry for loving or caring about her and that he still wanted to get married. But he wasn't there. This only made her tears come faster and she decided to just go for the run she knew her body and mind needed. It was better this way. All she had to do was keep telling herself that. 

She ran as far from the castle as she could possibly go without entering the forest. Then she ran around the edge of the forest until her lungs screamed for her to stop. When this happened she simply fell to her knees and wept. She cried for all the things that had happened over the past few years--all the things that were now ruining her life. All the things she had no control over.

After a good fifteen minutes or so, she got up and ran back to the castle. It was stupid to be out in the open like this given the state of things. She knew this rationally in her mind, but her heart really didn't care if anything happened to her. Who would care anyways, except her father? At least she still had him.

Once the thought of Harry crept into her mind she knew where she had to go. There was no way she was going back to the dorm, but she couldn't stay out all night, especially if she was going to work in the morning.

She didn't know how she got to her father's door. She only remembered being there. She knocked on the door loud enough to get his attention, but soft enough not to wake anyone else up.

"Lily!" Harry said in disbelief when he opened the door, pulling a robe around his shoulders. "Is something wrong?"

She opened her mouth to tell him she was fine but the words just didn't come out. He watched her eyes cloud over with tears. Her whole frame seemed to tremble with unspeakable sadness. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his quarters. She cried in his arms, holding nothing back. He kissed the top of her head and soothed her in anyway he could.

"Shhh, Lily, it's okay."

"He… hates… me," she hiccupped through her tears.

"No, he doesn't," he said automatically.

"Yes he does, Daddy," she lifted her face up to look at him. "I can feel it. He won't even look at me half the time."

"Honey, I'm sure all of this is a misunderstanding. Jack doesn't hate you." He looked down at her hand and saw her engagement ring was missing.

"Harry," a sleepy voice said from a few feet away.

He looked over and saw Ginny standing there, clad in her robe and his socks. He shook his head and pulled Lily tighter into his chest. He'd told Ginny about what Ron told him happened a few nights ago. She knew they had the suspicion that Jack was being toyed with. She walked over to them and patted Lily on the back. Lily looked over at her and moved from Harry's arms and into hers.

"I don't understand, Mom," she cried. "He said he'd always love me."

"It's going to be okay," Ginny said softly. "Why don't we go and get you ready for bed. You need a good night's sleep to rest your mind before you deal with this."

Harry watched as his wife led his daughter down the hallway and into the spare bedroom. Perhaps he should have told her that Ron had told him what happened the other night. He had decided against it, but now seeing that matters appeared to be worsening, he had no choice but to re-think that decision.

He walked down the hallway and into their room. He lay down in bed and stared up at the ceiling. About a half hour later Ginny came back into the room. Neither of them said anything as she removed her robe and got into bed. She crawled over to him and rested her head in the center of his chest.

"She's asleep," Ginny informed him. "Or at least I think she is."

"Did she give you any indication of what happened?" Harry asked, wrapping his arms around her more securely.

"No, she just kept saying that he hates her and that he doesn't love her anymore. Do you have any leads on what's causing this yet?"

"Ron told me he knows the potion Jack is taking isn't a normal binding potion. There are some strange ingredients in it. He's working with a potions specialist at St. Mungos trying to figure out exactly what the ingredients have done to him. Dennis has the healer who prescribed it under constant surveillance."

"Harry, I'm not saying this to scare you, but we're running out of time here. Lily is on a thin thread. Jack was her only lifeline. If you don't do something fast we're going to lose her."

"I know," Harry said truthfully. Neither of them said anything else. They both fell into uneasy sleep while the person down the hall didn't sleep at all.

_

* * *

_

_"So, you think you've figured it out," Malfoy's cold voice spoke. Lily whirled around to face him. She squared her shoulders and puffed up her chest. Again they were in the house on the island; the breeze blowing the curtains and the smell of the ocean filling the air. _

_"Maybe," she said vaguely, "This is the first dream I've had in weeks since we started taking the potion."_

_"Ah, but one of you isn't taking the potion anymore," Malfoy pointed out. "Otherwise I would not have been able to bring you here. Good old Jack has finally seen the light. He's finally realized what a handful you are. He doesn't love you. But somehow I have a feeling you already knew that." _

_Lily couldn't help the tears that clouded her vision and she lowered her gaze to the ground. She had feared that Jack's feelings had changed, spoken the horrible thought out loud even, but this more or less confirmed it. _

_"From what I know your little fairy tale wedding is off," Malfoy continued, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. "But if you want him to be happy then you should be relieved the wedding is off. You could never make anyone happy, Lily. All you've ever been to anyone is pain and disappointment." _

_"That's not true," she protested weakly. _

_"Oh look around you silly child. You're mother is dead. You're father is married to the love of his life and finally able to enjoy all the things he's always wanted." _

_"My father loves me!" Lily yelled suddenly. She stepped back away from his grasp and looked him in the eye. _

_"And look at how you repay him for his love. You've hurt him more now than anyone could possibly imagine. You go back and you'll see for yourself. Everyone around you is happy. But you never will be. Some people are just born to suffer. Why take them down with you?" _

* * *

Lily's eyes fluttered open and for a while she remained perfectly still. She hadn't had a dream like that in so long, she almost forgotten how terrible they were. She knew what she had to do. If she wanted anyone to be happy she knew she had to do something. This hell she was making everyone live through wasn't worth it. She wasn't worth it. 

Sitting up in bed she waved her hand and several candles on the bedside table ignited. She summoned a quill and ink along with some parchment and a book to write on. Without giving it much thought she began to write.

_Dear Dennis,_

_I am writing to volunteer myself for any long term missions out of the country. I know this is sudden and you're probably going to wonder why. I can't really explain here but I just need so time away from England. I know there are some cases in the States and Australia that need undercover aurors. I would really appreciate to be considered for any of those positions. Please keep me posted if anything turns up. _

_Lt. Lilly Potter_

* * *

Early the next morning, Jack walked through the corridors of Hogwarts completely determined to find Lily. A few hours of thinking left him with the largest case of regret he had ever had. All he wanted to do was find Lily and hold her until she believed that he hadn't meant those things he said. He approached Harry's front door and hesitated before knocking. He almost hoped that Lily hadn't gotten the chance to tell him anything. 

"Hello, Jack," Harry said soberly. He was fully dressed and ready for class.

"Is she here?" Jack painfully asked.

"She was," Harry stated blankly, "but she left a note saying she was going to work at the hospital today, because you two didn't need to be at the ministry."

"Damn," Jack said, punching the wall a little harder than he may have intended.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on, or am I just supposed to guess?" Harry said with a lopsided grin. "Come on in, Jack."

Jack entered the quarters and sat down heavily on the sofa. "I've been a complete git."

"I noticed Lily wasn't wearing her engagement ring when she came here last night. And she'd clearly been crying. She wouldn't tell me what was going on, but I have a funny feeling it involves you."

"We had a row last night, a pretty big one." He went on to explain all that had happened the night before, all that was said and all the action that had taken place. When he was finished he had tears of his own running down his face. How could he have been so stupid? "I really do love her, Harry. I don't know why I said those things."

"I'd say you two have a lot of talking to do. She's miserable, and clearly so are you. If she comes here again tonight, then I'll try to send her to you. Just, promise me you're not going to lose your temper. I'm trusting you here, Jack. Okay?"

"Thanks," Jack said feebly.

"Jack, can I ask you something," Harry said, suddenly even more serious.

"Sure," Jack said, afraid to hear what it was he wanted to know.

"Are you still taking the bonding potion?"

Jack was silent for a second before he shook his head, "I stopped taking it the night of the attack in Hogsmeade. I'm supposed to start taking it again a week before the wedding. I'll have to double up. If there is a wedding at all," he added, looking at the floor.

"There will be," Harry said without missing a beat.

"Why did you ask about the potion?" Jack wondered, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Well…did they make you feel differently?" Harry asked evasively. "I mean did you think you were…acting strangely when you were taking them?"

Jack thought for a moment. "I don't really know. I was so angry about the baby, and to tell you the truth, things are a little fuzzy during that time. I never really thought the two things were connected." He stood up and walked over to the window to look outside.

"You were angry at Lily for keeping the fact that she was pregnant a secret?" Harry asked from the couch.

Jack turned and met Harry's eyes. The look on his face was so painful, so wounded that Harry nearly had to look away. Something else was going on. Harry stood up and walked to the window.

"Jack, it's alright," he said when he reached him. He put his hand on Jack's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "But if something else is going on in that head of yours, it's important that you tell me. Ron and I think someone is magically messing with you. Possibly through the potion."

"How is that possible? Why didn't you come to me and tell me to stop taking it?" Jack asked sounding alarmed.

"Because if someone is inside your mind than we couldn't risk them finding out we were on to them," Harry explained quickly. "But now the fact that you stopped taking the potion on your own suggests to me that you think something is off too."

Jack looked down, scrunched up his face, and shook his head. "I don't know what's been going on with me." He looked up and saw the concerned look on Harry's face. "I can't do this, Harry. I can't talk to you about this. She's your daughter."

"Jack, she will always be my daughter. But you will always be my godson and in a few weeks you're going to be my son-in-law. I'm worried about you. You need to tell me what's going on."

Jack walked back over to the couch and sat down. Harry followed and waited expectantly. It took Jack a few moments to collect his thoughts, but when he did the story seemed to spill from his mouth as if he had wanted to get it off his chest for a while.

"We had been taking the potion for a few weeks when I first started to notice the changes. It's hard to explain but she always seemed to know what I wanted or how I was feeling. I could do the same with her but the connection was more subtle. One night I was working late and we got called to this house where Death Eaters had come through and killed the family. I was upset and angry about what I saw. I kept thinking about Lily and how I just wanted everything to be normal. I wanted to keep her safe and I wanted to have a normal happy life with her. Things have been so crazy lately and I guess I just needed a reminder that there was something in this world that still made me happy."

Jack paused and looked at Harry. He was sitting on chair facing him on the couch. He took a breath and went on. "I came home and she was waiting up for me. She was worried because I was so late. When I saw her it was like I just had to be with her. I couldn't think of anything else. I probably shouldn't have but--"

"Jack, you love her," Harry cut in. "Of course you would want to be with her."

"I don't think you understand. She was worried and I practically--"

"No, you didn't," Harry said, knowing where this was going.

"How do you know? You weren't there."

"I was there when we brought her out of that cell. I saw the look on her face. She has never looked like that around you. You're reading too much into this."

"Harry, Lily and I…we've been…" He stopped looking frustrated that he couldn't find the right words to say this. He tried again, "We've been intimate for a while now and we've never had a pregnancy scare before. She's been taking a potion as contraception and we've never had a problem with it. The reason Lily got pregnant is because subconsciously that's what I wanted."

"How can you be sure it was that time?" Harry asked without a trace of uneasiness surprisingly.

"Don't get me wrong we have a healthy relationship in that department," he said looking away and feeling his cheeks heat up. "But we're not rabbits. It's not like we stay hauled up in our room all the time. That time though, it felt different. The timing is right. She was only a few weeks pregnant when she lost the baby. I know that was the night. It was all my fault. I was never angry at her, in all honesty. I was angry at myself for putting her in that position. But that doesn't explain why I've been so horrible to her."

"The potion could have done that if someone was tampering with it," Harry concluded. "It could have redirected your anger in some way."

"I'm sorry, Harry," Jack said suddenly. "I promised you that I'd always protect her and I haven't done a pretty poor job of it. I think I've hurt her worse than anyone."

"Son, don't be so hard on yourself," Harry assured. "We're going to fix this."

The look on Jack's face suggested that he was no longer all there. His mind seemed to be somewhere else. "She said all these things last night," he spoke in a hollow voice, "And all I could do was stand there. I didn't say anything. I should have but I didn't. I don't know what's wrong with me. She's everything to me. It kills me that she doesn't know that."

"We'll fix it, I promise," Harry soothed, patting Jack on the shoulder.

Jack didn't reply. He simply got up seconds later and left Harry to think about what he was going to say to his daughter when he saw her again.

* * *

"I don't understand why you want to do this, Lily," Dennis said for about the fifth time since she came into his office. It was about two o'clock this afternoon when she got the summons from him at the hospital asking her to come meet him at the Ministry when she got off work. She was currently sitting in the chair facing him at his desk. 

"If this were anyone else, would you ask them why they wanted to volunteer?" Lily asked bluntly.

Dennis sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "You're right, but you're not just anybody else. Is everything alright? What about the wedding?"

"There isn't going to be a wedding," she said, growing frustrated. "Look, Dennis, this isn't my only option. I've gotten offers to join an American Auror unit as well as the French, Irish, and Swiss Ministries. I've also received letters from several hospitals outside the country offering me internships with them. I'm asking you because I know you all are in over your heads and you could use some help."

"I just don't--"

"I'm a capable auror," she said, cutting him off. "I will complete any mission you send me on. I'm hard-working and I'm reliable. You know that."

"Lily, I can't just send you off somewhere without knowing what is going on. If you're not in the right mental state you could get yourself killed," he told her firmly and quickly before she could talk over him again.

She stood up and straightened her robes looking down at him with contempt. "If that's the way you feel then I'd like you to please transfer me to the department in the states. Send them my paperwork. I've already owled them and they're expecting it."

"Why would you ask if you already knew I'd say no?" Dennis wondered. When she didn't answer he continued, "I don't know what's going on here, Lily, but I'm worried about you. Ever since the baby--"

"Don't," she whispered, shutting her eyes.

"Running away from your problems isn't the answer. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the things you care about."

Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him. "Sacrifices? You want to lecture me about making sacrifices?" she said with raising anger. "I have sacrificed everything! I've given up my childhood for this department! I've let it rule my life for so long that now it's the only thing I have left! I'm not marrying Jack and I would appreciate it if everyone just stayed out of our business. I know everyone would love to see us work things out because you all think we have we have some kind of fairy tale love affair but it isn't like that. It's over. But that has nothing to do with this."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Lily," Dennis said lamely.

"I'm not here for your sympathy, Dennis."

He sighed and looked away from her. "How soon do you want the transfer?"

"As soon as the paperwork can go through."

"Alright," he conceded. "This isn't a good idea but there is no way I'm holding you back if this is what you want to do."

"Thank you."

* * *

Harry and Ginny were enjoying the warmth of the fire as they sat in his quarters late that night. Harry sat up on the couch while Ginny was stretched out beside him with her head in his lap. He was gently stroking her hair when the fire before them came to life and Dennis O'Connor stepped out before them. 

"What's up?" Harry said as he and Ginny got to their feet.

"I can't tell you," Dennis said regretfully stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"What?" Harry asked harshly.

"Strictly speaking I can't tell you what someone and I talked about today. It would violate confidentiality."

"If this is about my daughter or my godson you'd better tell me," Harry warned.

"I can't," Dennis repeated. "But I can give you this because you're still working for the department." He handed Harry a thick folder and walked back to the fireplace.

Once Dennis was gone Harry looked down at the folder and then back at Ginny. "What do you think it is?" she asked with a hand over her heart.

"We'll have to find out," Harry said as he opened the folder.

Inside were several documents. The first few were just intel reports on various local missions. A few documents in Harry found something interesting. It was a list of aurors who were scheduled to depart for long term overseas missions in the states. Harry read down the list.

* * *

Second Lieutenant D. Drewy 

Initial Destination: AAD Detroit office

Duration: Three months

Departure Date: March 30th

Mission objective: Classified local disturbance

Status: Temporary stand in

* * *

First Lieutenant B. Mackaferty 

Initial Destiniation: AAD San Francisco office

Duration: Nine months

Departure Date: March 25th

Mission objective: Classified local disturbance

Status: Semi-permanent

* * *

Staff Sergeant W. Turner 

Initial Destination: AAD Washington DC office

Duration: Six weeks

Departure Date: April 1st

Mission Objective: Taskforce goal completion

Status: Temporary stand in

* * *

Second Lieutenant L. Potter 

Initial Destination: AAD office classified

Duration: Indefinite

Departure Date: March 15th

Mission Objective: Department transfer

Status: Permanent

* * *

Harry stopped reading when he reached that name. He lowered the folder and set it on the coffee table. Ginny picked up the piece of parchment and began to read. 

"What does AAD mean?" Ginny asked a few seconds later.

"It means American Auror Department," Harry said as he took a seat. He leaned his elbows onto his knees and covered his face with his hands.

"Harry, March 15th is less than ten days away," Ginny said, sounding horrified.

"I know," Harry said huskily.

"This says permanent." She looked over at him. "Harry, what--"

Harry stood up and took her in his arms. "It's going to be okay. She's not leaving yet. I'll talk to her."

"But how can she leave before she's graduated?" Ginny asked tearfully.

Harry looked down, somewhat surprised at her tears as he wiped some of them away. "She's taken all her tests. The ceremony is only for show at this point. There really is no reason academically that she has to stay here."

"But she can't just leave…I mean what about Jack…She loves him, Harry I know she does!" Ginny looked up at him with determined eyes.

"I know honey, but she's just incredibly hurt and confused. Jack came to see me today and the fight they had was a lot worse than you may think. She gave him back the ring and told him he was off the hook."

"They're not getting married?"

"They will if I can help it," Harry said resolutely.

"What about healing?" Ginny said desperately. "She's always said she really wanted to do that. And what about us? What about the baby? Harry, I want us all to be a family. I don't want our children to never know who their big sister is!"

Harry could see she was losing it. "Shhh, calm down, Gin. Its not good for you or the baby for you to be upset. She's not going anywhere. I'll put a stop to this. We are going to be a family. All of us," he added placing his hand over her still flat abdomen. "I promise."

"Where is she? She should be back by now."

Harry let go of her and walked over to the desk in the corner. In the top drawer he pulled out an old map Ginny knew all to well.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he spoke clearly. It took him a minute but he found her name floating in the astronomy tower. "Mischief managed," he said hastily. "I'll find her. She needs to go talk to Jack and work this out. I have a feeling he's the only one who can change her mind."

Harry made his way to the astronomy tower with a million and one things on his mind. He had no idea what he was going to say to change her mind. He remembered a similar conversation he had with Ron several years ago. At the time, though, he was on the other side of the argument.

_

* * *

_

_"I don't know why you're doing this, Harry," Ron said bluntly. "Why do you always want to punish yourself?" _

_"Ron, this isn't punishment," Harry said as he continued to pack away his things from his room at the Burrow. "They need help over there." _

_"But why you? Why is it always you?" _

_"I don't know."_

_"Have you talked to Ginny?" Ron asked accusingly. _

_"Ginny understands," Harry lied. _

_"No, she doesn't and neither do I. You promised me. You promised you wouldn't hurt her. You said after the war was over the only thing you wanted to do was be with her. This isn't being with her. This is pushing her away." _

_"Ron, just stay out of it!" _

_"Not when you're breaking my baby sister's heart!" _

_"She may be your sister, mate. But she certainly isn't a baby." _

_Ron put his hands in his pockets and was silent for a few minutes. "I understand that you think you need to do this. Like you have something you need to prove. It's just hard to watch you throw happiness away with both hands." _

* * *

Harry shook his head to get rid of the memory and found that he had arrived at his destination. He looked around and found her sitting on the floor gazing off into space. He approached her with caution as she appeared to have not noticed his presence. 

"Lily," he said softly, drawing her eyes up from the floor. "What are you doing up here, honey?"

"Just thinking," she said vaguely. The light in her eyes seemed to have gone out and all that was left was a dull, painful expression.

Harry walked over and sat next to her. Surprisingly she leaned into his shoulder and allowed him to put an arm around her. He was happy to feel some of the tension elevate from her body.

"I saw Jack today," Harry told her. No response came. "Lily, his heart is breaking. You've got to talk to him."

"What good will talking do?" she asked harshly.

"I know you two can work this out."

"No, its over."

"Do you want it to be over?" he asked, turning his head to the side so he could look at her.

"It doesn't matter what I want. I've seen the way he looks at me, Dad. He doesn't love me. I'm beginning to wonder if he ever did."

"That's not true. He does love you. I think maybe you've convinced yourself that he doesn't love you because it's convenient," Harry stated boldly. She pulled away from him and looked him in the eye.

"How is that convenient for me?" she asked loudly.

"Because then it won't hurt you to leave him behind when you leave for the states in less then ten days," he said flatly.

Lily stood up from where they had been sitting and walked away from him several feet. For a moment he thought she was going to walk out the door but she turned around to reveal tears running down her pale cheeks.

"How is it that you always know everything?"

"I have my ways. I know what you're doing. I've been there. But it's not going to matter how many miles you put between you and Jack. You're never going to stop thinking of him and loving him."

"Dad, I have to do this. You can't talk me out of it."

Harry found himself growing angry and soon he was on his feet in front of her. "So you're just going to leave us all behind? Pack up and walk away and never come back."

"I never said I wasn't coming back," she said, choking back tears.

Harry felt his anger raising as he fought to keep his voice from doing the same. "I am not stupid. I saw the wrap sheet, Lily. It says permanent indefinite transfer. I know what that means."

"I just need some time to get away and think about some things."

"And what about me? I'm your father and I've spent years away from you and I've only recently gotten you back."

"Well, that's not my fault now, is it?" she fired back.

He could tell the conversation was escalating, so he took a step back and lowered his voice. "Please go talk to Jack. I'm begging you. You owe him that at least. If you feel that you can't resolve this in a few days than you should at least tell him goodbye."

She looked at him, nodded, and swept from the room in a hurry before he could say another word.

* * *

Lily entered their dorm that night late and with deep red puffy eyes. She clearly had not slept in over twenty-four hours and it was showing in her face. She looked dead on her feet. Other than that, her expression was emotionless. She closed the door behind her and leaned heavily against it, not meeting Jack's probing looks from the armchair by the fire. 

"You actually came," Jack said with relief.

"Only because my dad did all but threaten to hex me into the next century if I didn't," she said, exaggerating a little and folding her arms across her chest.

"What's happened to us?" he said, walking over to her.

"I have no idea. I've spent all day trying to figure that out," she admitted softly, looking down at her feet. She let a second pass before she asked in a hushed voice, "What did I do to make you stop loving me?"

He came closer and cupped the side of her face with his hand. She met his eyes and searched their depths for whatever answer she was seeking. "I've never stopped loving you and I never will. Everything has changed so much. I guess it just all caught up to me," he told her gently.

"You mean I've changed too much," she said bitterly, moving away from his touch.

"You have changed, Lil. More than you realize."

She was the one with the raising anger tonight however. "Well, I sorry I've changed so much. But being raped and beaten to the point of near death will do that to a person! Having to kill a guy who was once a really good friend will also do that to a person! I told you once I was the same girl I was before the whole incident with Malfoy ruined my life. Perhaps I wasn't telling the whole truth. I'm not the same girl. But, how silly of me, I thought you'd love me anyway! I thought we could survive this. But I guess we can't."

"I didn't mean the things I said last night. I was just upset. I love you! I always have and I always will!"

"Just throw in the towel, Jack! It's over!" she screamed, trying to walk around him to disappear into her bedroom.

Jack shook her shoulders, trying to knock some sense into her. This was her exhaustion talking, no the real Lily. "I do love you! I love you more than I've ever loved anything or anyone in my entire life. I love you so much its making sick to hear you talk like this! I mean, honestly, do you hear yourself? This isn't Lily talking! This is not my Lily; she never gives up on anything."

Lily's expression changed. Her eyes were emotionless. She laughed cruelly, half to herself, half to no one at all. "You're right you know. I'm not Lily. I don't even know that girl anymore. I'm not sure that she ever existed outside your own mind."

Jack took another step forward. "I know she's here. I can see her in your eyes. We've got to stick together on this one. I can't do this without you."

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, catching him off guard.

"Doing what?"

"This whole auror thing. I mean truthfully, is it because you feel you need to protect me? I don't need your protection. I can do just fine on my own," she said with the confidence she knew she lacked.

"Can you?" he quietly challenged her and looked deeply into her eyes. He had never seen so much fear in them, not even when she opened them for the first time after being in Malfoy's cell.

"Jack, just get yourself out of this mess," she said, looking down and showing just how vulnerable she really is. "I told you…you're off the hook. You don't owe me anything. You have helped me through some of the toughest times of my life, and I can never thank you enough for everything. But I don't have anything left to give you except to let you go on and have the life you deserve."

He placed a hand on the side of her face again and this time she raised her gaze to look him in the eye. "All I want is you. I'm so sorry about the things I said. I was an idiot and if you'll let me I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

She kept her eyes locked with his and all he could see was sadness. "I did give myself to you, Jack. No one has ever had the power to hurt me like you do. Not Luis or Malfoy not the people at the orphanage not anyone! I never let anyone in, except you. Now I'm beginning to wish I hadn't."

"Lily, I'm sorry…I--"

"I always knew one day you would wake up and realize just how much loving me has cost you. So it isn't really a surprise that all this happened. The reason why I was hurt by the things you said is because I knew you were right." She clenched her jaw and straightened herself up trying to look resilient.

Jack realized he had done exactly what she always feared he would do. He'd let her down in the worst possible way. He tried to explain himself. "I was just angry about what you did the other night in the duel with that death eater or whoever he was. You just laid there and watched him raise his wand at you! You didn't even try to get up or fight back. It was like losing you all over again!" He lowered his hand from the side of her face but never took his eyes away from hers.

"I just froze, Jack. I didn't know what to do," she said, softening a little bit.

"I wanted you to fight," Jack half-yelled in her face.

"What reason was there to keep on fighting?"

"Me!" he yelled this time.

"Maybe this just isn't meant to be, you and me. Maybe you'd be happier if we spent some time apart."

His face hardened with determination. "I want to marry you. Just as much as the day I asked you to be my wife."

"No you don't," she said softly. "You love something that doesn't really exist. I'm not the girl you want me to be, Jack."

"I'm not going to let you give up on us this easily!"

"I'm not giving up," she said, sounding gravely defeated. "I'm just being the rational one for once. I told you, I don't have anything else I can give you. I thought I had totally given myself to you in ever sense of the word, and it doesn't look like that was enough."

"You're being the stupid one for once. That's usually my part," he joked with a serious tone of voice.

"I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning," she said, walking around him and entering her bedroom.

Jack sighed deeply and entered his room. It was no use going after her until she'd gotten some sleep and had her wits about her. He just hoped that in the morning they could fix this mess they called a relationship.

A/N- I hope you all liked it! Please let me know what you think!


	23. Chapter TwentyThree: Some Other Beginni

A/N- Alright everyone, this is it for this story. The end! Well, the end of one thing and the beginning of another. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Three: Some Other Beginning's End

The morning came, and Jack had only gotten about two hours of sleep. He got out of bed around six o'clock and took a hasty shower before walking into the living room to find it empty. He moved over to Lily's room and listened by the door, but he didn't hear anything, so he opened it and saw that her bed had been made up and the room was empty.

Sighing heavily, he entered the room against his better judgment and walked over to her desk where she had a book open with a quill on top of the pages. He recognized the handwriting to be Lily's and then he realized that the book must be her journal. She'd let him read one of her journals once before, but he'd never seen this one. Again, against his better judgment he picked up the book and began to read the entry with yesterday's date.

_I can't recall a time in my life when I've felt colder then I do right now. I tried to sleep last night but it was all in vain because I kept tossing and turning in bed, shivering no matter how many covers and blankets I could find to wrap myself up in. I know it has something to do with Jack. I'll never tell him this but I miss him so much it makes me not want to get out of bed in the morning. I can never tell him. He needs to get way from me and this hell that seems to follow me wherever I go. He may not see it now, but he'll be better off in the end. He'll be happy. I can't give him that. Maybe he'll be like he was in the vision Luis showed me. He'll get married to someone else and have a lovely family. I want that for him, I really do. But I know as much as I want him to be happy, I can't stand by and watch. I'm leaving on the 15th. Who knows, maybe it'll be easier for him to move on that way. Without me in the way…_

_Deep down I know he didn't mean the things he's said to me during the last few days. He's frustrated and so am I. But I have to say, it's convenient. He needs to stay away from me. I just have to keep telling myself that. I know I love him even more now that it's over. Funny how cruel life can be._

Jack set the book down once he finished reading the entry.

She was planning on leaving. She'd admitted it. She was definitely her father's daughter, that's for sure. Now that he knew what she was up to, he was only more determined to make sure that she didn't succeed. She loved him, and he loved her. That was enough to tell him that it wasn't over, and it was also the only motivation he needed to head into work. He left the room without a backward glance, and about ten minutes later found himself at the ministry. When he finally got to their training floor, the woman at the desk greeted him brightly.

"Good morning, Mr. Weasley," she said, smiling.

"Morning," he grunted back as he continued passed her into the hall and then into their locker room. Lily was in there putting on her tennis shoes. She looked like she hadn't slept at all the night before, which only worried him more.

"I must have missed you this morning," he said, setting his bag down on the bench and opening his locker.

"I went for a run and didn't get a chance to go back once I was done," she told him without looking up. She really hadn't lied to him—strictly speaking—because she _had_ gone for a run, but the reason she went for a run so early was so that she wouldn't have to face him.

"You seem to be going on a lot of those lately," Jack observed.

"It helps me clear my head," she said distantly as she slipped her other foot into her shoe.

"Funny, you used to clear your head by talking to me," Jack said sadly.

He heard her sigh deeply before saying, "Jack, let's not do this at work."

"Then where do you want to do it? You can't run away from this forever. We're going to have to talk about what been going on."

"Do you really think there's much to talk about? We're working separately again today. I'm sure you have another one of your top secret meetings to attend to anyway. I'll see you at lunch…maybe," she said as she walked out of the locker room, closing the door softly behind her.

* * *

Jack spent the rest of the morning with Davison, one of their trainers, working on various tactics. When lunch came around, he discovered that Lily was skipping the meal to duel with one of the higher ranking aurors.

He knew that she hadn't slept in over two days; he could tell by looking at her. He personally hadn't shared any of her dreams, but that didn't mean she wasn't having them and that could have been what was keeping her awake. She hadn't been having them lately, but now that he wasn't taking the potion anymore that could change.

He felt completely responsible for her exhaustion. If only he hadn't said those things to her and gotten her so upset…

* * *

The room swirled around Lily's head as she tried to focus in on her opponent. Greg was a good dueler and he'd really been letting her have it for over an hour. But truth be told, her head wasn't in it at all. She'd had a splitting headache for over an hour, and now she was becoming dizzy.

She knew what this meant: this is what usually happened to her before she had an attack and saw Malfoy again. Against her own will, started wishing Jack were with her. Even though she didn't want to admit it, his absence made everything about work a lot less worth the effort.

The room started to spin around her head and Lily found the nearest wall to brace herself against. She could feel the pain rising up through her body like flood waters. Starting slowly at her feet and continuing up to her knees, hips, stomach, and chest. She dropped her wand and fell to her knees breathing in short gasps, trying to get a hold of herself.

"Lily, are you okay?" Greg asked, stopping the duel when he saw her fall and placing a hand on her shoulder.

She struggled to speak but finally managed to get her point across to him quietly, "C…can you …go get Jack for me…please?"

"I'm going, Lil. Just hold on!" she heard Greg cry before she felt herself lose consciousness.

_

* * *

_

_She found herself again back in the cell under Malfoy's manor. He was already there waiting for her and when he saw her arrive, he wasted no time at all. He took one step towards her and slammed her against the rocky wall._

_"What took you so long, Potter? If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to fight it!"_

_"I was," Lily said, raising her eyes to him as he kneed her hard in the stomach. She doubled over in pain, but didn't let herself fall to the ground. It took her several minutes to regain her breath, and when she did it hurt like hell as she took too deep a breath. "Why do you keep bringing me here?" _

_"Because I like you Potter. I relish in your misery. And believe me, you're miserable!" he said before throwing her against the opposite wall so hard that she felt a rock cut into her side._

_"Why don't you just kill me now and get it over with!" she said in near tears. She didn't want him to see that he had this affect on her, but her body wasn't giving her much of a choice. _

_"I should just kill you! That would help all parties involved. And that's including you filthy father, your half-blood boyfriend, and his pathetic family!"_

_"So just do it already!" she screamed at the top of her lungs._

_"Fine!" he shouted, pulling out his wand. _

* * *

Someone was shaking her shoulders. She moaned as whomever it was pressed on a bruise she knew was appearing on her right shoulder. Without opening her eyes, she rolled over and began coughing heavily. It wasn't until she brought her hand to her face that she realized she was coughing up blood. She snapped her eyes open in horror and looked up into Jack's concerned crystal-blue eyes.

"Go get a healer," Jack commanded Greg, and once again he was running out the door.

Lily tried to tell Jack to leave her alone, even though she really wanted him to stay, but when she opened her mouth she just started coughing again.

"Its okay, Lil! Just takes slow deep breaths," he said, rubbing her back as she was now on her side again.

"It…hurts…to breathe," she said softly as tears fell from her eyes unwillingly. She hated to have him see her like this.

"Shhhh, everything will be okay in a minute or two. The healer is on the way," he said soothingly.

"It'll never be okay," she said as she continued to sob deeply, which only made it harder for her to breathe. It wasn't long before she passed out completely from lack of oxygen.

* * *

When light finally hit Lily's eyes, she found herself in the healer's office laying on her back, looking up at the blank ceiling. She tried to sit up at once, but remembered what happened with Malfoy when the pain in her chest returned with violent force, so on the next attempt she was more careful.

"You need to lie flat on your back, dear," a kind voice told her.

"What happened?" she asked in a raspy voice when the healer helped her painfully back down to the bed.

"You passed out during training. That's all they tell me. I don't have security clearance to be told anything else. I can send your family and your boyfriend in if you like. They're all outside."

"I'd like to see my dad if you don't mind," she asked as kindly as possible.

"No one else?" the woman said hopefully.

"Not right now," Lily assured her.

The woman left the room, giving Lily some time to gather her thoughts. She had been so terrified in that room earlier. She couldn't breath but she didn't want to lose her composure in front of her father. She heard the door creak open and saw Harry rush over to her bedside.

"Lily! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Dad," she said, her eyes already glossing over.

"No you're not! What happened?"

"What do you think happened?" she countered dryly.

"How bad was it this time?" Harry inquired.

"Bad enough to put me in here," she said, looking around with disgust. "I hate the healer's office."

"Lily, you are practically a healer!" Harry reminded her.

"I know, but I don't like having to be healed! I'd much rather be doing the healing," she said forcefully.

"Do you want me to have everyone come in?" Harry asked, gesturing towards the door.

"Is Jack out there?" she wondered warily, though she knew he would be.

"You know he is. He's worried sick! We all are."

"I can't see him right now. I'll see Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron, but not him. No arguments here, Dad. This isn't up for discussion."

Harry shook his head. "This is going to hurt him very badly, Lily. Are you sure you want to do this to the man you love? The man you're going to marry? He was practically in tears when we arrived."

"I'm not marrying Jack," she said, looking away.

Harry sighed softly. She'd expected him to be mad, because she knew he cared for Jack very much, but all she heard in his voice was sadness. "I wish you could see how big of a mistake you're making."

"I can only bring him and his family pain. I'm sick of all this. I'd rather be alone then force him to relive all the pain he's already been through. I don't make him happy like I used to."

"Lily, please don't do this. Believe me, I've been right where you are and I've spent a lifetime regretting the decision you're about to make…" Harry started to say something else but stopped short and took a deep breath. "I'll go to get Hermione and Ron. We'll talk about this later."

"There's not much to talk about," she said under her breath as he left the room.

Harry stepped outside the door to where everyone else was waiting. "She's awake," he said to Ron and Hermione, eyeing Jack who was slumped over in his chair and looking the other way. "She wants to see you guys," he nodded his head towards Ron and Hermione.

"Doesn't she want to see Jack too?" Hermione asked as she and Ron got up and walked towards the entrance to Lily's room. Harry opened his mouth several times but couldn't find the right words to say, but luckily for him Jack spoke instead.

"You guys just go on ahead," he said, giving his mother a greatly forced smile. Ron and Hermione went in to see Lily without further question. They both seemed to know that something was up but neither really knew the right questions to ask.

"Is she okay?" Jack asked once Lily's door was closed once again.

"No, she's not. But she putting on a good act," Harry said as he took a seat in the chair across from him. "I feel like I should apologize, Jack. She gets this from me. I look at her in there and I see myself a long time ago."

"If anyone is at fault here, it's me. I let her down."

"Just hang in there. We'll work this out," Harry said assertively.

Jack nodded his head and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "Was she still in pain?"

"I couldn't tell," Harry said, sitting back trying to relax.

"She's giving up," Jack said, putting his head in his hands.

"What do you mean? How do you know?" Harry asked desperately.

"Because I could hear all that was said during her vision," Jack stated solemnly.

"I don't understand what you're saying," Harry said, completely bewildered.

"I was at lunch and I started hearing all these voices in my head. At first I thought I was going nuts, but then I began to realize who the voices belonged to. It happened almost like the other dreams that I saw, but this time I could only hear what was going on. I heard Lily and Malfoy talking. I could hear him slapping her around and slamming her against stuff. He told her how he wanted to kill her, and she just told him to get it over with. I was already halfway there when Greg came and running to get me. I was surprised that she asked him to go get me, actually. We're not exactly on speaking terms at the moment."

"She asked for you because she loves you, Jack. She may not want to at the moment. But deep down, she loves you just as much as she always has."

"How can you be so sure?" Jack him question intensely.

"Because it's written all over her face. All you have to do is look hard enough. I know she's changed a lot. She's not the same girl she was a year or two ago. You have to ask yourself if you can still love the woman she's become just as much as you loved the woman she used to be."

"There's not a question in my mind. I loved her then and I'll love her 'til the day I die, whether she wants me to or not," Jack replied, with determination embedded in his voice.

"Just keep telling her that, and I know whatever it is that's come between you two, you guys will sort it out," Harry reassured him.

"I don't know Harry--" He would have continued with his thought but he was interrupted when Josh, a fellow auror, patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey Jack, I heard your girl had a rough day," he nodded toward the door to the healers office.

Jack didn't say anything for a long second. When he replied he looked directly at Harry instead of Josh. "She's not mine anymore."

"What did you say?" Josh asked in playful disbelief.

"I said she's not mine anymore!" Jack repeated angrily.

"Jack, is everything alright? I've heard people talking about what happened today. Is there something you want to talk about?"

"Nothing except that my life seems to be coming apart at the seams," he turned to Josh momentarily and stood up. Once he was standing he looked back at Harry, "You'll take care of her for me, won't you? They'll send her home and I've got to get back to work. I won't be able to come with you. Not that she'd want me to, anyway."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you want," Harry said sadly.

"Give her a kiss for me; just don't tell her it's from me, okay?" Jack didn't wait for the answer to this question before he started down the hallway with the other auror jogging to catch up.

* * *

Jack had to go back to work, and Harry and Jack's parents took Lily back to Hogwarts so she could rest there. Jack stayed at the ministry for another few hours before he gathered his things and left for the day. When he got back to school, nearly everyone was already in their common rooms and the halls were deserted. He walked to the dorm he shared with Lily, and when he got there he discovered her asleep on the sofa in front of the fire. She looked troubled even in her slumber as he stood over her for a second and observed the unsteady rise and fall of her chest. He picked her small frame up easily and began walking toward her room.

"Jack," she said, beginning to wake up and protest mildly. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just putting you to bed," he said painfully as he laid her out on her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.

She was back asleep already. He brushed the hair out of her face and stood up straight. She looked uneasy, even now that she was in a comfortable bed, but she certainly looked better here than she had on the couch.

"I love you," he told her before he left the room. If only she was awake and would believe what he was saying, then maybe everything would be okay.

_

* * *

_

_Lily found herself walking down a long isle of mourners. She recognized her surroundings as Hogwarts, but the house tables where missing. People lined both sides of the rows as she traveled towards the front of hall. She saw Luis exit the stage. A hot rage flooded her body as she saw the man who helped bring her to Malfoy walk past her to leave the building. She would have followed him if she hadn't caught sight of Jack sitting next to her father. She'd never seen him look as bad as he did right then. _

_She saw her father pat Jack on the back and nod his head. Jack reached and took his little brother from Harry's lap arms. Joe looked up at him through glazed over eyes, puffy with tears. _

_"D…do you th…think Lily is s…scared? She's all alone," Joe said, beginning to cry again._

_Jack tried very hard to smile to make him feel better. "No Joe, I don't think she's scared. And she's not alone. She's with her mum and Allan. They'll take care of her for us. But she meant what she said about you. She loved you very much. Never forget that." _

_"I won't. I loved her too," the little boy said as Jack pulled him to his chest and both brothers sat there sobbing together. _

_She turned away from them, unable to watch two of the people she loved most in the world suffer anymore. Just as she did this, the scene began to change once more. When things came back into focus, she looked around to find herself at her gravesite. The only person there was Jack, still wearing the cloths he had worn at her funeral. He was kneeling down in front of the stone with her name on it. _

_"I don't know what I'm going to do without you in my life," he said out loud and placed a hand on the headstone to keep himself from falling over in grief. "You were everything in the world to me. I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Now I won't get the chance. I heard what you said in your letter today. Luis read it to all of us. You said you wanted me to move on and be happy. I don't know how I can ever be happy without you. I don't know if I even want to try. Your death seems to have sucked all the happiness out of me. So in a sense, not only have I lost you, I've lost myself as well. I don't know what I have to do to get it back. I just want you to know that I'll spend the rest of my life loving you. I'll never forgive you for leaving me here all alone." With that, Jack stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes and walked away from the grave. _

_Lily tried calling for him to come back. She wanted him to know that she wasn't dead. She was right here. But no matter how hard she screamed, he just kept walking. _

* * *

"_NO_! JACK!" Lily sat straight up in bed and reached forward as if she was meaning to embrace someone. She was sweating and shaking all over. Had she just been at her own funeral? Tears streamed down her face as she realized that she had been.

Her bedroom door flew open. "Lily, what is it?" Jack asked as he rushed into the room. When she saw him she only cried harder. He ran to her and sat in front of her on her bed, and gathered her small, suddenly fragile body against him. Much to his surprise she came into his embrace willingly and was holding on to him frantically.

"Shhh, you're alright. I've got you," he soothed her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him as close as she could. "Good God Lily, what the hell happened? What is it? Malfoy? Luis? Please talk to me," he pleaded, smoothing over her hair while trying to comfort her.

"No…It was the funeral…my funeral…I saw you there. You were holding Joe and you both were crying…then I saw you at my grave…you told me you'd never forgive me for leaving you," she recalled, shedding more tears that fell onto his gray shirt.

Jack's eyes welled up at the memory of that day. Perhaps that's what was bothering him so much. He'd gone through that once, he didn't want to have to go through it again, especially when it didn't look like she wanted to fight to stay with him any longer.

"That was the worst day of my life," he said still holding her. After a few minutes he took her by the shoulders and looked down into her tear stricken face. "All I did was stare are your casket throughout the entire funeral service. The only thing that I could think of was that I was never going to hold you in my arms again." Tears slid down his slightly tan cheeks as he looked her square in the eye and wiping her own tears off her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

She stared up at him and shook her head. Pulling away from him and standing up, she walked several feet away from him and turned back with a solemn expression.

"That's why I have to do this. I will not cause you anymore pain, Jack."

He stood up and walked over to her, "Lily, listen to me--"

"No, you listen," she interrupted heatedly. She took a breath and returned her voice to normal before she spoke again. "Jack, I love you. I love everything about you. I have never known anything but you and you've never known anything but me. I think we just need some time apart to know if this is for real or not."

"What else could it be if it's not real?" Jack asked, still standing in front of her but not moving to touch her.

"Comfortable?" She suggested. "Familiar? Convenient?"

"Being with you is anything but convenient," Jack muttered bitterly. He walked back and sat on the bed, looking sorely defeated.

"I can't relay on you for everything anymore, Jack. I need to stand on my own two feet for once."

"So that's it then?" he asked, looking up at her in disbelief. "Three years of our lives down the drain?"

"This is something I have to do," she reiterated.

Jack stood up and walked over to the window. Looking out into the night on the grounds of Hogwarts, he knew nothing would change her mind. He could tell that by the sound of her voice.

"How long?" he asked, turning around.

"I don't know."

"Are you coming back?"

"I don't know."

"You're expecting me to wait around for you to go find yourself?" he asked, glaring at her.

"I would never expect you to wait. Maybe this will be good for you too. You can…see other people and maybe even someone who you discover you love more than you love me."

He opened his mouth to say something but quickly thought better of it. He walked over to her, stood almost right on top of her, and looked down into her tear-filled eyes. "Maybe you're right."

She had to look away at the sharpness of his words. There was a whoosh of air and she knew he'd walked past her to the door. She stood there long after his footsteps stopped, staring into the darkness and wondering if she'd made the right decision.

* * *

For the next several days all the people in Lily's life approached her on their own to plead with her not to go. Her father came and talked to her again, though this time he seemed to somewhat understand her reasoning by the time their discussion was over. Ron was so disgusted that he'd walked out on her completely. They hadn't spoken since. Hermione tried very hard to hold back her tears. She expressed her fear that they were loosing her the same way they lost Harry. Lily tried to assure her that it wasn't the end of the world. She was just going away for a little while.

Her conversation with Ginny was the worst. Both of them dissolved to tears. Lily promised to come back to see the baby when he or she was born and she swore to write as much as she possibly could. Ginny wasn't happy in the slightest, but Harry helped her see that there was no changing Lily's mind. All they could do now was be supportive and hope that she finds her way home before too long.

Lily and Jack hadn't spoken since the night they "officially" ended things. Jack avoided her at all costs, even going as far as to sleep on the sofa in his parent's quarters for several nights.

When they were forced to be near each other, at meals and such, he wouldn't look at her. He wouldn't talk to her. And for the most part he tried very hard to imagine she wasn't even there.

Slowly Lily began to wish the 15th would arrive sooner so she wouldn't have to see the look of disappointment on his face. She knew she'd hurt him. But for once, she had to do something on her own. She knew she couldn't love him properly if she didn't have enough respect and love for herself. She just wished he could see it too.

* * *

The dawn of March 15th was misty and unseasonably cold. Lily stood in her bedroom with several duffle bags open on her bed. She walked around the room quickly, placing various items into the different bags. She was leaving her trunk and some other things for her father to take care of until she found a flat in America. It was just after five in the morning and she was due to be at the ministry in half an hour.

Once she had all her things packed, she stopped and took a moment to look around. It was hard to believe her time at Hogwarts was over. This was the first place that ever felt like home. It was the first place she ever felt like she belonged. These walls had given her so many happy memories and now she was leaving. It was almost too hard to believe.

She didn't know now long she stood there, but a knock at her door brought her out of her trance. Thinking for sure it was her father coming to help her take all her things to the ministry, she simply said loudly, "Door's open! I'll be ready in just a minute, Dad." She stood with her back to the door while zipping up her last bag.

"That's nice, but I'm not Harry."

Lily dropped the bag and whirled around quickly. In seconds she was face to face with Jack Weasley for the first time in days. "Jack…I…you surprised me. I wasn't expecting you to…"

He almost smiled at her stuttering. "I know you weren't expecting me to come say goodbye. I spoke to your dad and he agreed to let me take you to the ministry."

"Oh," she said, once again surprised. "You don't have to…if you don't want to."

"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to," he said shortly.

She turned around and picked up one of her bags. "Okay, I'm ready to go then."

Jack however didn't move, however. "Don't you want to go say goodbye to everyone?"

She hesitated before she spoke. "I…um…I'm not good with goodbyes, Jack. You know that. I'm planning on writing them all letters when I get the chance. I just think its better this way."

Jack stared blankly before he nodded and picked up two of her bags. They left the dorm room and walked down the hallway in silence. It was still early and the castle was for the most part empty. Along the way they passed a cat scampering along the wall in hot pursuit of something to eat. An owl flew by just before they headed out the doors by the great hall and out into the cold morning air.

"What will you do?" Lily asked after the silence began to bother her.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, looking down at her.

"I mean after the year is over," she clarified. "What will you do? Will you still work for the department?"

"I'm not sure," he said honestly. "I was offered a position here,actually."

"Here? At Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, teaching flying lessons and refereeing Quidditch."

"Jack, that would be wonderful for you! You love Qudditch!"

"Yeah it would, wouldn't it?" he smiled at the excitement that appeared in her eyes.

"You'll have to write me and tell me how the final goes," she said, referring to the current Qudditch season. The Gryffindor team was set to play the Ravenclaw team for the title in two weeks.

"I will," Jack promised. They were almost to the gates now; almost to the point where he'd apparate with her to the ministry. Once they were there he'd have to say goodbye.

He knew he'd have to let her go. But before that time came, he knew he had some things he needed to say. He stopped walking and gently took hold of her arm to stop her from advancing as well. "Lily, can we talk for a minute?"

She sighed and nodded her head. If anything, she at least owed him an explanation if that's what he needed. "Sure." She set her bag down and watched him set down his two as well.

He looked down and took a deep breath. "I can't say that I understand why you're doing this," he began solemnly. "I can't stand here and say that I'm not angry as hell."

"I'm not asking you to understand, Jack."

He looked up and met her eyes. "I can't say that I don't feel like I'm being left behind. And I'm not quite sure how to handle all that at the moment."

"Do you hate me for it?" she asked quietly. Tears rimmed her eyes and the gentle breeze lifted some of the hair off her shoulders. When a few strands blew across her face, he fought the urge to brush them away.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you this before you'll believe me. Noting you could ever do would ever make me hate you. But I'd be a liar if I told you this doesn't change things. And I'd also be a liar if I told you that I thought we could still be friends after all this." He watched her swallow and look away from him. He was almost glad for it. He didn't think he would have been able to go on if he had to continue looking at her. "I know I promised you in the beginning that we'd always be friends no matter what. But we were both naïve to think that would ever work."

He waited for a second, thinking that maybe she'd have something to say. But she didn't. She remained silent as she looked off back at Hogwarts Castle behind them.

"I can promise you this," he stated resolutely, "If you go through with this, then it's really over between us. That will be it. I won't be here when you come back. I learned to love you very quickly. I'm only hoping I can unlearn all that just as fast."

Her chest rose and fell quickly as her eyes slid shut in a vane attempt to hold in the tears she knew she was powerless to stop. She knew he was speaking so cruelly because he was hurting, but that didn't make the words easier to hear.

"I understand that, Jack," she said finally with her voice shaky as ever and her eyes still closed. "I'm sorry you feel that way. But I can't go on like this anymore. I need to take care of myself for once."

"That's your problem," he said in a voice just above a whisper. "You've always felt like you should be self-sufficient and be able to hold yourself up. Sometimes you need to let people help you."

"I can't change who I am. But I can promise you something as well," she said opening her eyes and looking at him. "I will _never_ stop loving you."

He nodded his head and bent down to pick up the bags again but she reached forward and tool hold of his hands before he could grab hold of them. He looked up at her with a confused expression and she simply shook her head.

"Be happy, Jack. Promise me that?"

He paused for a breath and said uneasily, "I promise."

"I can take it from here," she said, picking up her bags that were lying in front of him.

"No, Lily, let me take you to the ministry," he said, trying to take the heavy bags back from her.

She shook her head and took a set away. "You've done enough," she said softly. "But I can take it from here. Goodbye Jack."

His mouth opened but he couldn't say the words. Saying them would make them real. He wasn't ready for reality just yet. Lily waited for a second before turning her back on him and walking towards the gate.

She supposed it was only fitting. Jack belonged to a part of her life that no longer existed. Perhaps he even represented a version of herself that was no longer there. Every step she took away from him was another step towards what she hoped would finally be true happiness. She thought she had happiness before, but she knew this time she'd have to find it within herself before looking for it in someone else.

She looked up at the red sky coming alive with the colors of the dawn. Something caused her to smile in spite of the intense sadness she felt at leaving so much behind. The gates of Hogwarts drew closer and she knew that whatever lay on the other side would only be as good as she made it out to be.

A/N- So...what did you think? Do you hate me yet? I bet you do! As I said before, this is it for this part of the story. The third installment, and hopefully the last, will be called Revealing Destiny. I'm hoping to have the first chapter out in a few weeks (cross your fingers). In the meantime I'd like to thank my wonderful beta for doing what she does best. And I'd also like to thank all of you for sticking with me! Please take the time to drop me a line and let me know what you thought of the story and this chapter. Thanks guys!


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